Bracket clock; HENRI CHARLES BALTAZAR, France, second half of the eighteenth century.

Bracket clock; HENRI CHARLES BALTAZAR, France, second half of the eighteenth century.
Rosewood veneer, gilt bronze mounts and porcelain enamel dial.
Overhauled. In working order.
Suspension in silk thread.
Signed on the dial and plate.
Measurements: 55 x 39 x 17 cm.
Bracket clock with curvilinear case covered in rosewood veneer and richly ornamented with gilded bronze mounts of rococo taste. The decoration features vegetal motifs and scrolls characteristic of 18th century French furniture. The circular enameled porcelain dial shows Roman numerals in blue enamel and is signed by the watchmaker. The whole rests on molded legs and has front and side windows that allow to observe part of the interior mechanism.
Henri-Charles Balthazar was one of the most prominent Parisian watchmakers during the reign of Louis XV. After obtaining the title of master on March 26, 1717, he established his workshop in the Place Dauphine in Paris, later moving it to the cloître Saint-Germain-de-l'Auxerrois and the rue du Roule. In a few years he achieved great prestige, receiving the title of Horloger de Mesdames filles de France. As was usual among the best watchmakers of the period, he collaborated with prominent bronze and cabinetmakers for the realization of the cases of his watches, among them Joseph de Saint-Germain, Jacques Dubois, Jean-François Oeben and Balthazar Lieutaud. He received commissions from the Garde-Meuble de la Corona and had a distinguished private clientele that included the Count d'Armentières, the collector Nicolas Chuppin, treasurer of the Marc d'Or, the Marquis de Saint-Georges and the Russian ambassador in Paris.