Louis XV Period Ormolu Bronze Wall Clock and Barometer
Our client's large French ormolu bronze wall clock and barometer from the Louis XV period, late nineteenth century, comes from the celebrated clock maker to King Louis XV, Jean-Antoine Lepine (1720-1814). Movement marked "Lepine Hger Du Roi Place Louis X4 No X2". Overall condition is good. Clock pendulum missing.
Lepine began his horological career working for Mr. Decroze, manufacturer of Saconnex watches in Geneva. At 24 years old, he came to Paris to work as an apprentice to André-Charles Caron, the current clockmaker to Louis XV at the time. He became a maitre horloger (master horologist) in 1762 and the following year invented a novel repeating mechanism that eliminated weaker winding chains that reduced friction and reduced space within the clock movement. Around 1765 he invented a method of producing pocket watches, the socalled "Lépine calibre" or "calibre à pont", that allowed unique, thin designs, giving rise to the pocket watch. In 1766, he succeeded Caron as Horloger du Roi (Clockmaker to the King) and appeared on the list of Paris clockmakers of that year as Jean-Antoine Lépine, Hger du Roy, rue Saint Denis, Place Saint Eustache.
