A Louis XVI gilt bronze and ebony pendule a la Geoffrin

An important, high quality Louis XVI white marble and gilt bronze Pendule ‘à la Geoffrin’ of fourteen day duration by the royal clockmaker Robert Robin, housed in an extremely fine case attributed to the fondeur François Rémond after a model by Laurent Guiard, with a very fine dial painted by the enamellist Edme-Portal Barbichon, signed on the white enamel dial Robin / Hger du Roi and also signed and dated Barbichon 1788. The dial with Arabic numerals for the outer 15 minute intervals and inner hour numerals, between which is a calendar ring for the 31 days of the month, as well as an inner ring marked above with names of the days of the week and below, with their corresponding symbols, with a very fine pair of pierced gilt brass hands with fleur de lis pointers for the hours and minutes and blued steel pointers for the calendar indications. The movement with anchor escapement, silk thread suspension, striking on the hour and half hour on a single bell, with outside count wheel. The magnificent case with the dial drum housed within a marble pedestal with an arched top surmounted by ribbon-tied foliate sprays and mounted either side of the dial by ribbon-tied flowers, fruits and grapes, to the left of the pedestal is an antique stool on which sits a reclining classical maiden, symbolising ‘The Employment of Time’, wearing sandals and a tunic dress with hem chased with laurel leaves, who reads a book placed on her lap while resting her left elbow on the pedestal, the whole upon a rectangular plinth upon a conformingly shaped stepped white marble base inset with a pierced gilt bronze frieze against a blued background, the mounts showing a central sunburst Apollo mask medallion held by two recumbent sphinxes, flanked by elaborate acanthus-wrapped and fruiting scrolls
Paris, date circa 1788
Height 44 cm, width 64 cm, depth 20 cm