/
interiors
'Pendule Fleur d'Hélianthe': A cut-crystal, gilt and bronze clock, France, circa 1900
Price upon request
Taxes not included
♉VAT𝕴 and other taxes are not reflected in the listed pricing.
Details
Description
cut-crystal glass, gilt and patinated bronze
stamped 'Baccarat', the movement signed 'Planchon à Paris'
Please note that this piece currently located in Hong Kong
Catalogue Note
Baccarat were known for their ‘crystal’ glass, and had a long-established tradition for producing the finest in glassware like chandeliers, but it is highly unusual to see them innovate to this degree with a clock of such ambitious form. Generally, Baccarat clocks of this period remained of conventional design, usually retainꦰing ♔a typical white face with Roman numerals and traditional hands while adding cut-glass elements to a traditional gilt-bronze-mounted case. In contrast, this clock untethers itself entirely from the received notion of how clocks are designed, employing a rotating dial and an illusionistic insect-form hand to mark the time while mimicking the head of a sunflower. The result is an object that playfully deceives the eye, prioritising a ‘trompe l’oeil’ design that mimics the form of a natural sunflower in a vase, but with the ability to subtly tell the time.
The sunflower has long held associations of loyalty or even unrequited love in Europe, where it has been present since the 16th century. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the nymph Clytie’s love for Helios, the god of the sun, was not returned, leaving her to watch his path across the sky every da💯y until her feet became rooted into the ground and her hair turned to petals – post-Renaissance readers have usually identified her with the sunflower, given the flower’s tendency to rotate its head towards the sun and also the similarity between its golden leaves and blonde hair.
Later, this would be used as a symbol of loyalty more generally, as in Anthony van Dyck’s famous Self-Portrait with Sunflower, which is usually interpreted as a statement of his faithful support of Charles I. The French name of this clock, ‘fleur d’hélianthe’, refers to the species helianthus, the scientific name 🍸for the genus that includes the common su🔥nflower.
A mounted vase of similar form to the base of th🧸is clock, with etching that also draws on the style of Japanese decorative art, is in the collectionꦍ of the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number C.1242-1917.
Dimensions
he💙igh🗹t: 66 cm (26 in), width: 19 cm (8 in), depth: 13 cm (6 in)