This masterpiece of neoclassical design and workmanship is signed and dated by the foremost mosaicist in Rome, Giacomo Raffaelli, in 1804. The figures on the clock are of great virtuosity and may have been made in Raffaelli’s workshop in the Via S Sebastianello.
The maker of the clock movement was Abraham-Louis Breguet, a genius in the history of European horology. Sent by his stepfather to study watchmaking at the College Mazarin in Versailles when he was fifteen, he displayed an extraordinary talent that brought him to the attention of royal clients. By 1775, he had opened his own shop in Paris at quai d’Horlogue, where he dedicated himself to perfecting complex and costly instruments like the self-winding watch, a speciality that earned him international renown and many patrons.
The clock was among the gifts chosen by Antonio Canova (1757-1822) to be taken to Paris by Pius VII, who had been asked to preside over Napoleon Bonaparte’s consecration and coronation as Emperor. The clock later found its way to Malmaison, one of the luxurious residences the Emperor had acquired for Josephine before their marriage was dissolved. It is listed in her death inventory of 1814.

Popularity: 1%