Clock with pedestal 1685 - 1695

This clock with pedestal was made from tortoiseshell, ebony, gilt bronze, and enameled metal by André Charles Boulle, a cabinetmaker working in France around the turn of the 18th century. Boulle was granted the title of cabinetmaker to King Louis XIV, a position that granted him lodging in the Louvre Palace. This was a privilege usually reserved for artists. This highly ornate clock would have been at home in the Palace of Versailles, which was then being renovated to reflect Louis XIV’s status as the “Sun King”. The clock’s opulent materials and classical imagery evoke the king’s wealth and power. Note the mask of Apollo, god of the sun, at the center of the clock's pedestal. Objects like this are fascinating to historians because they remind us that what we now call "art" once served a very specific function in the exercise of political power. We can discover these functions by studying primary source documents such as royal inventories, architectural plans, and court memoirs.