A Louis XV gilt bronze-mounted amaranth cartonnier clock
the model by Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain,
the dial and movement signed Gille l’Ainé à Paris – circa 1750 

Jean-Joseph de Saint-Germain (1719-1791, maître in 1748)

Height: 40 cm. (15 ¾ in.)    Width: 23.7 cm. (9 ¼ in.)    Depth: 21.2 cm. (8 ¼ in.)

Son of a talented cabinet maker and bronze worker, Saint-Germain was during his time one of the undisputed masters of the rococo style. The elephant clocks signed by Saint-Germain feature the same drum surmounted by a cherub pointing a magnifying glass towards a sundial found on this piece.