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Rare painted and gilded wood "à la montgolfière" clock decor - Lot 339

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Lot 339
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Estimation :
8000 - 10000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 10 400EUR
Rare painted and gilded wood "à la montgolfière" clock decor - Lot 339
Rare painted and gilded wood "à la montgolfière" clock decorated with the signs of the zodiac, fleurs-de-lis, foliage, stars and shamrocks. The nacelle is decorated with two flags and drapery. White enamelled dial with Arabic numerals. The mechanism signed Mulot et fils etBoissey. Louis XVI period H.: 37 cm - L.: 25 cm (Wormholes and missing polychromy) Our balloon refers to the flight in autumn 1783, the first human flight with Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlande, at the Château de La Muette. The flight was a great success. For this demonstration, the two inventors created a balloon made of cotton canvas glued to both sides with paper. The balloon, named Réveillon after Jean-Baptiste Réveillon, director of the royal wallpaper factory, had the same decoration as our clock: an azure-blue background with the king's numerals - two interlaced "Ls" - linked by various ornaments, all gilded. This event marked a veritable revolution, enabling Man to realize his dream: to fly! From then on, a "hot-air balloon craze" was born, and a multitude of objects and works commemorating the event were created, including clocks, chairs, boxes, engravings, paintings and more. Many of these objects are preserved in French collections, notably the Musée Carnavalet. Our clock is a perfect example!
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