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Jean Antoine Lépine museum-quality Rococo perfume bottle with spindle clock circa 1760
Jean Antoine Lépine museum-quality Rococo perfume bottle with spindle clock circa 1760
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The subject of this offer is nothing less than an antique and unique piece of Rococo and clock history:
A unique, antique, and museum-quality piece of horological history and Rococo artifact: a superbly preserved perfume bottle with a built-in verge clock by the watchmaking genius Jean Antoine Lépine from around 1760.
It is absolutely certain that this is a unique, one-of-a-kind, custom-made piece.
Jean Antoine Lépine was a legendary French court watchmaker and a horological genius of his era who made history, supplying his watches to the highest circles and royal courts. It is documented, for example, that US President George Washington personally ordered a pocket watch from Lépine in Paris and received it on April 23, 1789, bearing the serial number 5378.
Jean Lépine was court watchmaker not only under King Louis XVI, but also under Napoleon. It is assumed that at least one of Napoleon Bonaparte's famous watches was made by Jean Lépine.
The few surviving Lepine clocks are exhibited in the world's most important museums, such as the Louvre, the British Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Some are still in the royal residences for which they were originally made over 250 years ago, such as Buckingham Palace in London.
The museum-quality Rococo artifact offered here, with a work number only half as "high", is of course much older; we estimate it to be from around 1760.
Description:
A massive, polished, exquisite, and gold-decorated antique Rococo mineral glass flacon is firmly mounted on a 12cm x 6cm x 2cm marble slab. The lid and stopper are formed by a kind of "tin," inside which is an original Lépine verge pocket watch, formerly serial number 2640.
There is no other closure than the "tin clock"; the marble base, bottle, and clock have belonged together from day one.
Whether the entire, unique museum-quality Rococo artifact was manufactured in the workshops of Jean Lépine, or whether the 100% original and highly refined "Lépine à Paris" verge clock movement was purchased, can no longer be determined.
The base measures 12cm x 6cm x 2cm, the overall height is 10cm, the mineral glass bottle 5cm x 5cm, the diameter of the dial is 32mm.
The 32mm Lépine movement, fully and authentically signed, starts and runs (accuracy not tested). Also included: an antique winding key on a presumably original chain.
The most exquisite white enamel dial of its time, featuring Roman numerals and a surrounding Arabic minute track, is in excellent condition.
Rarely have we been able to present such a museum-quality and extraordinary artifact in our shop: around 285 years old and still functional, a unique piece made to order by the best watchmaker of his time, and in excellent and complete condition for its age.
EZ: Excellent condition considering its age and apparently complete, with hardly any signs of age or use except for patina.
The French court watchmaker Jean Antoine Lépine (Source: Watchwiki):
Lépine, Jean Antoine
Lépine, Jean Antoine
Jean Antoine Lépine (l'Épine) was born on November 18 , 1720 , in Challex, France. His father was Philibert Lépine (Depigny). After training as a watchmaker, he went to Paris in 1744 and worked in the workshop of André Charles Caron . Around 1750, Lépine developed the comma escapement . In 1756 , he married Caron 's daughter, Madeleine-Françoise Caron, and became his partner. In 1762, he successfully completed his master watchmaker's examination and in 1766 , under Louis XV, was appointed Royal Watchmaker . He retained this title under Louis XVI and Napoleon.
In 1769, at the age of 72, Caron retired from the company, and Lépine took it over completely. He operated on the rue Saint Denis, at the Place Saint Eustache. In 1770 , Lépine invented the Lépine caliber , named after him: the open pocket watch (see, in contrast, the savonnette ). Until then, watch movements had been built with full plates , but Lépine revolutionized the pocket watch movement with his unprecedented bridge construction. In 1772 , Lépine moved to the Place Dauphine. From 1778 to 1779 , his shop was located on the Quai de l'Horloge du Palais, and from 1781 onward, it was on the Rue des Fossés Saint Germain l'Auxerrois, near the Louvre.
Besides his business, Lépine was also involved in the watchmaking colony of Ferney (now Ferney-Voltaire, view this location) , founded by Voltaire . He spent at least 18 months in Ferney and also managed this "watch factory." After Voltaire's death, the watch factory fell into disrepair and closed. In 1782, his daughter Pauline married one of his employees, Claude-Pierre Raguet . From 1789 , Lépine operated at 12 Place des Victoires, and Claude-Pierre worked with him. In the same year, on April 23, Lépine delivered pocket watch No. 5378 to George Washington.
In 1792, Claude-Pierre Raguet became his partner, and the company was renamed Raguet-Lépine. Raguet became "Horloger du Roy" (Watchmaker to the King) and from then on called himself Claude-Pierre Raguet-Lépine. Lépine worked until his eyesight no longer allowed him to, around 1894. Jean Antoine Lépine died in 1814 in his apartment on Rue St. Anne in Paris. Claude-Pierre Raguet-Lépine had already died in 1810. His son, Alexandre Raquet, took over the business.
Jean Antoine Lépine is considered a master of space utilization. Among other things, he improved the design of the mainspring barrel by incorporating gears, thus eliminating the need for a chain and fusee drive. This enabled the construction of very flat watches .
The Lepine pocket watch pictured here bears the signature and a portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte, with Egyptian pyramids in the background. This pocket watch thus commemorates July 21, 1798 : Napoleon's victory at the Battle of the Pyramids . Upon his return, Napoleon was celebrated as a national hero.
The clearly visible case number now also allows conclusions to be drawn about the dating of other Lépine watches.
