Table clock; France, c. 1810

Table clock; France, c. 1810.
"Atala & Chactas."
Patinated bronze with mercury gilding.
Silk thread suspension.
Shows signs of wear.
Measurements: 41 x 37 x 10.5 cm.

This model is inspired by *Atala, or the Love of Two Savages in the Desert* (1801), the first major success of François-René de Chateaubriand (1768–1848). The novel was inspired by his journey to North America during the Revolution and was admired for its humanistic spirit and its rich descriptions of the New World’s flora and fauna.

The story takes place in Louisiana, on the banks of the Mississippi, around 1755. René, a young Frenchman, is taken in by the Natchez and joins Chactas, one of the tribe’s most revered chiefs. Chactas, the adopted son of a Christian named López, is captured by an enemy tribe, but Atala, a young Native American woman raised as a Christian, frees him, and they flee together. After wandering for a long time, they encounter the missionary Father Aubry, who sets out to unite them by converting Chactas to Christianity. Atala’s mother, to save her daughter’s life before she was born, had vowed before God that she would remain a virgin. To avoid succumbing to Chactas’s temptation and to remain faithful to that vow, Atala poisons herself, despite her love for him.

The clock, crafted from mercury-gilded bronze and patinated bronze, depicts the liberation of Atala and Chactas, the latter a prisoner of the enemy tribe and about to be executed. The white enamel dial is set within a bonfire, covered with a lion’s pelt. The rectangular base, resting on spinning-top-shaped legs, is decorated with a bas-relief depicting Atala’s funeral.

The episode enjoyed enormous popularity in the decorative arts of the first third of the 19th century, and Atala inspired numerous clocks and paintings of the period, as is the case here.