Watch

ca. 1766

Not on view

Lépine was appointed clockmaker (Horloger du Roy) to Louis XV (1710–1774) probably about the end of 1765 or the beginning of 1766, and he included the appointment in his signature until about 1790 or 1792, when revolutionary activity in France made a mention of the monarch impolitic, if not dangerous. In the period leading up to the Revolution, his watches became famous for their slim elegance
and increasingly inventive technology. The Museum’s watch is a simpler product of the 1760s, displaying Lépine’s effort to decrease the space between the plates of the movement while still allowing room for the verge escapement.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Watch
Maker: Watchmaker: Jean Antoine Lépine (French, 1720–1814)
Date: ca. 1766
Culture: French, Paris
Medium: Case: gold, partly enameled and set with diamonds; Dial: enamel
Dimensions: Diameter: 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm)
Classification: Horology
Credit Line: Gift of Joseph W. Drexel, 1889
Object Number: 89.2.69
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

By Jean Antoine Lépine

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Watch, Jean Antoine Lépine French, Gold, enamel, French, Paris — Watch
Watchmaker: Jean Antoine Lépine
late 18th century

Costume Armor in the Classical Style, Hallé French, Helmet: linen, papier-mâché, bole, gold leaf, graphite; tunic: silk, cotton, metal coils and spangles, metallic yarn, French, Paris — Costume Armor in the Classical Style
Helmet includes original paper label of Hallé
ca. 1788–90

Pair-case quarter-repeating watch, John Champion British, Outer case: glass and gold set with diamonds, pearls, emeralds, and rubies; Inner case: gold; Dial: white enamel with black painted Chinese characters and blued steel hands; Movement: gilded brass and partly blued steel, British, London, for Chinese market — Pair-case quarter-repeating watch
Watchmaker: John Champion
ca. 1770–72

Watch, Jean Antoine Lépine French, Gold, crystal, rhinestones, enamel, brass, French, Paris — Watch
Watchmaker: Jean Antoine Lépine
second half 18th century

Armor of Infante Luis, Prince of Asturias (1707–1724), Jean Drouart French, Steel, gold, brass, silk, cotton, metallic yarn, paper, French, Paris — Armor of Infante Luis, Prince of Asturias (1707–1724)
Armorer Signature probably refers to Jean Drouart
dated 1712

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