Clocks
Dials
The dials on George Washington clocks contain a treaure trove of information that can be important to understanding the design, manufacture, customization and marketing of the clocks. Most George Washington clocks have enameled dials, and the "classic" Dubuc dial to the left just below is most representative. Of the seventy-seven clocks displayed in the Entries tab, only seven don't have enameled dials. Of the seven, five have silvered dials. On the remaining two, the dial on the Winterthur clock pictured to the right below uses a bronze outer ring with a silver-turned innner ring. The final clock dial in this group utilizes a turned bronze dial and can be seen in Example #2 below.
From an aesthetic standpoint, a white enameled dial breaks up the uniformity of an all-bronze look, and serves to draw the viewer's eye to the center of the mass.[x] The black paint used for the signatures on the white emaneled dials makes those signatures stand out in a way that doesn't happen with the signatures on the clocks with bronze or silvered dials. Note how Dubuc's signature on the Winterthur clock pictured above can be easily overlooked as the engraving blends into the second marks.
There are ten known signatures on the dials of the known examples of George Washington clocks: 1) Dubuc, 2) Arsandaux, 3) Gabriel (or L. Jeune) Rabiat, 4) L. Mallet, 5) Planchon, 6) Blanc, 7) Jacob, 8) Isidore Grenot, 9) Demilt and 10) Stiennon. Eight signatures appear to represent makers, while three appear to be retailers.
As Lara Pascali has noted:
The name on the dial is commonly that of the 'horloger' - the clockmaker, that being the person who coordinates the group of different artisans who come together to produce the clocks. It is not necessarily the name of the person who makes the movement. The name of the enamellist, the person who makes the dials, is often written on the reverse side of the dial and only by taking it apart can one find that name.[1]
The dials on American tall case clocks use a similar naming convention where the dial painter's name can sometimes be found on the reverse and the signature of the "general contractor" who coordinated production is displayed prominently on the dial front.[2]
The dial on the clock in Example #2 set out below is interesting to the extent that it utilizes a "plaque" on which a name can be painted. Signature plaques were commonly used on bronze clocks of the period, and were placed at the top of the dial and, more frequently, at the bottom in between the winding holes, as can be seen in Example 4 below. The signature plaque in Example 3, although not from a George Washington clock, is interesting because it explicity uses the word "bronzier."
The use of a signature plaque in Example 2 may be unique on a George Washington clock, and raises a number of interesting questions. Was the plaque left blank at the time of manufacture so it could be filled in once the clock made its way to America? If so, would the retailer or the "horologist's" name be painted in the blank? Alternatively, was a name affixed at the time of manufacture, and became erased, intentionally or unintentionally, over time? Given Dubuc's affinity for enameled dials, does the use of a signature plaque indicate that this clock was by another maker?
Since these clocks were made for the American market, one would think that clock dials bearing the names and addresses of Parisian-based makers would have significant marketing cachet for American buyers looking to show off their international design sensibilities. George Washington was said to be "...eager to acquire fashionable French goods, newly available through direct trade. The general requested that his friend and former aide, the Marquis de Lafayette, procure for him in France an extensive assemblage of silverplate for tea table and dinner service, including salvers, hot water urn, tea pots, coffee pot, bread baskets, candlesticks, and bottle sliders." [3] Washington is believed to have acquired the mantel clock with the dial signed by the Parisian horloger Bruel in pictured below sometime between 1791 and 1794. [4]
The notion of appealing to American consumer tastes through the use of Dubuc's Parisian address on the dial can be seen in other Dubuc clocks meant for the American market. For example, the Dubuc clock of Benjamin Franklin[5] that now sits in the Diplomatic State Room collection (below left) contains Dubuc's standard dial signature "Rue Michel-Le Comte, No. 33." (below right).
Dubuc clocks made for the French market never utilized a street address, as can be seen below:
Despite the American affinity for French goods, two George Washington clocks have dials that bear the names not of their horloger, but of their retailers, specifically Demilt (below left) and Grenot. Thomas Demilt was based in New York City and Grenot is reported to have worked as a retailer in Paris. The Demilt clock raises an interesting issue: were the dials signed in Paris, did they come over as blanks with the signature/city added in New York, or, were blank dials sourced here.
Was the cachet of Demilt's name in New York City sufficient to trump that of a Paris-based maker like Dubuc? Whereas almost all the Dubuc dials the signature and address at the bottom of the dial, Demilt put his signature at the top and New York at the bottom. While the dials on the classic Washington clocks don't appear to be numbered, the dials on two of the bust clocks have numbers: the dial on the Mallet clock in Entry X is inscribed "No. 1078" while the dial on the Grenot bust in EntryY is inscribed "Isidore / Grenot / Edidit / N-31."
[X] Throughout history, painters have used similar "tricks of the eye" to draw a viewer's attention to an intended place on the canvas, as figures dressed in red have been strategically placed in canvasses to achieve the desired effect.
[1] Lara Pascali, "Desirable to the Patriots, French Washington Clocks for the American Market" Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, 2006-2007
[2] See, William Prescott, John Minott, John Ritto Penniman, Spencer Nolen.
[3] French objects at Mt. Vernon: https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-other-special-relationship/french-objects/
[4] "Made in Paris, it features four black columns and an array of decorative ormolu (gilded brass) mounts, including a Chinoiserie finial, griffin heads, fringed draperies, fruits, laurel branches joined by a bowknot, and a pendulum with a radiant face of Apollo, the sun god. It is one of the most expensive individual items listed in both George and Martha Washingtons' estate inventories, valued at $100, and it was preserved in the family of George Washington’s sister, Elizabeth (Betty) Washington Lewis (1733-1797)." https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-other-special-relationship/french-objects/
