MANTEL CLOCK Louis XV, Paris, ca. 1740. The movement and dial signed Festeau à Paris, the bronze probably by André-Louis Duval (master craftsman in 1758). Chased and gilt bronze. Curved, openwork case decorated with rocaille motifs, leaf moldings, and flowering branches, fixed to a base with feet in the shape of scrolled leaves. White enamel dial with Roman hour numerals and Arabic minute numerals. Parisian movement, half-hour strike on bell (missing). 1 key. 26 × 17 × 46 cm. Going train and striking mechanism currently in working order, but heavily soiled. Gilding rubbed. Fabric covering on the sides needs to be replaced. An almost identical pendulum clock, with the case signed Duval on the back, is illustrated in Pierre Verlet: Les Bronzes dorés Français du VIIIe siècle. Paris 1987, p. 255. The movement is also by Festeau. The signature on the movement plate of this clock, “Festeau le Jeune,” suggests that it was made by Simon-François Festeau, who became a master clockmaker in 1750.