108. A Directoire ormolu and enamelled pendule squelette, late 18th century The circular enamelled dial showing the hours, minutes and days of the month, within a scrolling foliate pierced border surmounted by doves on ribbon-tied berried foliate branches, above winged seated herms centred by a concave-sided star-filled blue enamel cartouche with the cypher 'JC', on a demi-lune guilloche support terminating in turned and moulded feet, on a rectangular slate plinth with beaded border and on small turned feet, 25cm wide, 12cm deep, 47cm high (9 1/2in wide, 4 1/2in deep, 18 1/2in high) Provenance Antiquitäten J.G. Rust, Köln Private German Collection It has been suggested that the cypher 'JC' in the blue ground enamelled cartouche could correspond to Joseph Coteau (1740-1812). Coteau was arguably the most famous enameller of his day, his name is usually signed discretely at the bottom of dials he manufactured. Coteau supplied the great clockmakers of France. Born in Geneva he became maître-peintre-émailleur at the Académie de Saint-Luc in Geneva in 1766. By 1772 he was installed in Rue Poupée, Paris.