Mantle clock w. orrery

French mantle clock with tellurian, c. 1810, attributed Henri Lepaute, see below. Two train, Tic-Tac escapement, half second pendulum, hour and half hour strike on count wheel. An orrery is mounted to the top of the clock case and is driven by the clock in real time as well as by a demonstration key. 21"h x 9"w x 6.5"d.

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Video demonstration of a French mantle clock, c. 1810 with orrery mounted to the top. The orrery is driven by the clockwork and can also be demonstrated by a crank. The clock is unsigned and the orrery was probably supplied by a third party as many makers including, Janvier, Baltazar, Guiteau, Berthoud and others have clocks signed by them with this same mechanism. The basic construction is common throughout, only details such as engraved vs. enamel dialing or different dial bezels were supplied as upgrades.

The photo to the left is taken from the Antiquarian Horology magazine, March 1976, page 689. It was from a section illustrating clocks that were recently stolen, in the United Kingdom.

The description reads: "French planetarium clock, approx. 24: high, signed Lapaute de Belle Fontaine, Elementa Suis Proprus Armis Victa. Sun depicted by brass sphere; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn by ivory balls, 19th century.

The description cannot be seen in this fuzzy photo taken from the printed medium, it may have been on the dial, but given the length of the dialog was probably engraved on the rear movement plate.

The phrase is a mixture of French and Latin making a literal translation difficult. The most probable is: Lapaute of Belle Fontaine — the elements overcome by their own forces.

For an orrery clock, the idea is especially apt: the “elements” (celestial bodies, natural forces, time itself) are being governed and demonstrated through mechanical ingenuity. The phrase subtly celebrates the Enlightenment-era notion that nature can be understood—and even mastered—through its own laws.

The clock case, brass diamond inlay and striping, as well as the dial, hands and bezel are identical to the clock shown in the author's collection. The two differences are the pendulum and the additional three outer planets of the solar system. This clock has both the inner and outer planets. In the clock described on this website only the inner planets are despicted.

However the mechanical design and orrery dial are identical and are certainly made by the same hand. What sets this clock apart is the additional outer planets of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. There are many different makers who used the tellurian design of the clock that had only the inner planets on this website and a discussion of this can be found here.

So the question is whether this clock was made by Lepaute. Given the extensive engraving and identical features of the majority of elements of the clock, it seems to be, and so my attribution to Lapaute.