Mesnil, Paris.
SOLD
Fine French Empire ormolu mantel clock of Diana the Huntress by one of the greatest French bronziers of the pre and post Revolution period, Andre-Antoine Ravrio. To the right of the clock stands Diana with her bow. Above the clock is a horn and quiver with arrows. To the left of the clock is a hunting dog seated on a tree stump, below the dial are two horns draped by a fleece. The verde antico marble base stands on four fine toupee feet.
The white enamel dial with Roman numerals is signed Ravrio Bronzier a Paris and Mesnil horologer. The eight day movement has a silk suspension and countwheel striking.
- Height. 16 inches (40.6 cm)
- Date. Circa 1800
André-Antoine Ravrio (1759-1814), was one of the greatest French bronziers and a highly successful respected businessman. An exceptional artist, in addition to his bronze work he wrote and published poetry and had three of his plays performed at the Vaudeville Theatre, Paris. His grandfather was the eminent ébéniste François Vandercruse whose son, (Ravrio’s uncle), was Roger Vandercruse, known as Lacroix. His mother was sister-in-law to the Royal Ebéniste, J.- H. Riesener. After attending a good school, Ravrio joined the Académie. He then trained as a fondeur under his father, André, whose family had been fondeurs since 1661.
In 1774 the great bronzier, Pierre-Philippe Thomire personally recommended him to the Compte d’Artois. Three years later he was received as a maître-fondeur and afterwards joined J-B Disnematin-Dorat, a Parisian doreur-argenteur.
Ravrio was successful during Louis XVI’s reign, achieving even greater fame under Napoleon he took part in the first Exposition de l’Industrie, Paris, 1803, winning a silver medal there in 1806. In that year he supplied a number of bronze furnishings for the Empress Joséphine’s apartments in the Tuilerie. In 1810 he was appointed as the Emperor’s chief bronzier supplying some of the finest Empire bronze pieces, from girandoles, candelabras and lamps as well as ornate furniture mounts and an array of fine sculptured clock cases for many of the Imperial residences at the Tuileries, Fontainebleau, Saint-Cloud, Versailles, Compiègne and Rambouillet.
A portrait of Ravrio by his cousin, H-F Riesener (1812, Louvre) shows a prosperous and well-educated man, seated with books, bronzes and an open sketchbook. Sadly, none of his three children survived, though he had an adopted son, Louis-Stanislas Lenoir-Ravrio (1783-1846) who became his partner in 1811 and continued the business after his death. Examples can be seen among the finest collections including the above mentioned palaces as well as the Stedelijk Museum Lakenhal, the Upper Belvedere Vienna, Musée Massena Nice and the Residenz, Munich.
His clock cases are among his very best works and it is thought that they are the only pieces that he signed. Like equally important examples by P. -P. Thomire, Ravrio’s cases were also fitted with clock movements by Mesnil, among them was one made for the Empress Joséphine for the Palais de l’Elysées. Other clocks with movements by Mesnil can be seen at the Stedelijk Museum at Leiden and at Stockholm Castle. By 1806 Mesnil á Paris was based at Charnier des Innocents and then from 1812-15 at rue Neuve Saint-Marc.
Click the image to the right to see a close up.
