James Stratton
Director
Lot 34*
A rare late 17th century ebony veneered 'Pendule Religieuse' Jacques Le Camus, Paris
2 December 2025, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£3,500 - £5,000
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Lewis Walduck
Cataloguer
A rare late 17th century ebony veneered 'Pendule Religieuse'
Jacques Le Camus, Paris
The rectangular case with twin suspension loops to the rear over a moulded cornice, shaped glazed side panels and a moulded plinth, the rear door veneered inside and out with ebony lines on a walnut ground. The 7.5 inch velvet-covered rectangular dial hinged on the left hand side and mounted to each corner with foliate cast spandrels framing the elaborate hinged signature plaque (with pendulum slot behind); the 7 inch chapter ring with each minute hand engraved to the edge enclosing the Roman hours, cruciform shaped half-hour markers and inner quarter hour track, with good pierced fancy hands. The small rectangular movement united by four vase shaped pillars pinned to the rear, both wheel trains wound via a single 'tandem winding' barrel, the going with verge escapement with cycloidal cheeks set on a decorated cock, the verge arbor set on another separate cock, the strike train with solid outside countwheel with each hour numbered and fancy steelwork, signed along the lower edge of the plates Jacques le Camus, Paris. Currently not Ticking or striking sold together with a cast brass mount for the top edge of the case, and a door key. 31cms (12.5ins) high.
The rectangular case with twin suspension loops to the rear over a moulded cornice, shaped glazed side panels and a moulded plinth, the rear door veneered inside and out with ebony lines on a walnut ground. The 7.5 inch velvet-covered rectangular dial hinged on the left hand side and mounted to each corner with foliate cast spandrels framing the elaborate hinged signature plaque (with pendulum slot behind); the 7 inch chapter ring with each minute hand engraved to the edge enclosing the Roman hours, cruciform shaped half-hour markers and inner quarter hour track, with good pierced fancy hands. The small rectangular movement united by four vase shaped pillars pinned to the rear, both wheel trains wound via a single 'tandem winding' barrel, the going with verge escapement with cycloidal cheeks set on a decorated cock, the verge arbor set on another separate cock, the strike train with solid outside countwheel with each hour numbered and fancy steelwork, signed along the lower edge of the plates Jacques le Camus, Paris. Currently not Ticking or striking sold together with a cast brass mount for the top edge of the case, and a door key. 31cms (12.5ins) high.
Footnotes
Little is known about Jacques Le Camus, though he is occasionally listed among the horologists active in the capital during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He is most notably associated with the production of pendules religieuses, a type of early French clock typically housed in architectural cases and often featuring finely executed movements. While few of his works survive, those that do suggest a competent and refined craftsman working within the Parisian tradition.