Handbook language :
Considered to be the greatest sculptural clock ever made, this exceptional Régulateur Louis XV surmounté du Motif le Temps is the second of only six known to have been made by the master cabinetmaker François Linke. The result of a very successful collaboration between Linke and designer Léon Messagé, this clock was constructed especially for the 1904 St. Louis Exposition after the success of it predecessor, which was itself specifically created for the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. Standing over 10 feet tall, the magnificent inlaid tulipwood and fruitwood case is richly decorated in mythological and natural motifs rendered in cast bronze ormolu. From the star-studded globe dial surmounted by a scythe-wielding Chronos (Father Time), to the entangled oak branches, apple blossoms, bulrush and cascading water, this clock represents the height of Linke's incredible genius as a cabinetmaker and artist. This is truly one of the world's most beautiful clocks. The mounts are signed and stamped “LINKE 1803, FL, and LIN,” the clockworks stamped “ETIENNE MAXANT/BREVETE/R DE SAINTONGE PARIS/17965.” Circa 1900. $1,250,000.00