Pendule Portefaix

Dimensions: H x W x D: 36 x 28 x 11 cm

Description:
Beautiful, fire-gilded and patinated bronze mantel clock from the early 19th century. It depicts a young man carrying a large cotton parcel on his back. He is holding a letter in his right hand and leaning on a bamboo stick with his left. His tobacco pipe is stuck in his hatband and he is carrying his drinking bottle on his belt.
The fire-gilding contrasts interestingly with the deep black patinated bronze, and the white glass eyes are particularly striking.
The caster has managed to make materials tangible by using different surface finishes. For example, the skin is subtly hatched differently to the cotton fabric of the trousers - please take a look at the photo, which shows the foot in detail.
The proportions of the figure are perfect and the pleats on the trousers emphasise the dynamic movement.

The heart of the clock is an 8-day pendulum movement from the workshop of Jean-Joseph Hanset workshop in Brussels.
The Breguet hands are blued and the pendulum is suspended from a thread, typical of the time. The clock strikes a bell on the half and full hour.

Jean-Joseph Hanset was born in Bevekom in 1767 and died in Brussels in 1826. He was a clockmaker at the royal court "Horloger de la Cour" of King William II. There is evidence of his workshop in Trapstraat in Brussels from 1799. His younger brother Jean-Baptiste was also a clockmaker in Brussels.
Clocks by Jean Joseph Hanset can be found in the Royal Collection in Brussels (inventory KK-B224977), in the Palais Het Loo in Apeldoorn and in the Musée Francois Duesberg in Mons.
A Pendule Matelot with movement by Jean Joseph Hanset is also known from the art trade. It cannot be ruled out that both "Au Bon Sauvages" clocks were made for the same patron. It is highly likely that the bronzes were delivered from Paris to Brussels and then fitted with the specially made movement. The fact that the pendulum of the clock offered here swings behind the bezel on the back and not in the pendulum recess in the cotton bale supports the theory that the individual components were made at the same time but not at the same location.

Interesting facts:
The depiction of Le Portefaix was created by the Parisian bronze caster Jean-André Reiche, who had his artistic design registered in Paris in 1808. In addition to the depiction of the cotton picker, there are numerous other pendulums that deal with the theme of colonisation. Other themes from the "new world" were also treated artistically - exotic animals and plants - butterflies, birds of paradise, tobacco and spices...

As a sign of admiration for the exotic, the "Au bon Sauvage" pendulums are a typical feature of the Enlightenment at the end of the 18th century. They show the yearnings of a hitherto Europe-centred society, which was urged to look beyond its usual horizons by the discovery of seafaring and the revolution of 1789.

[Source: Elke Niehüser - Die französische Bronzeuhr S. 140-143]

Examples of this clock can be found in the world's great museums, such as the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

Condition:
Very nice condition of the fire gilding with slight age-related rubbing.
Movement cleaned from top to bottom and in perfect working order.