The three pendules aux biches in the collection of the Kunstgewerbemuseum Dresden. Workshop-report of the research and conservation project “Jean-Pierre Latz”

Abstract

Within the framework of the research and restoration project “Jean-Pierre Latz” of the Museum of Decorative Arts (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden), three clocks and their corresponding pedestals, all of the same model – the so-called pendules aux biches – were extensively analyzed in terms of construction, marquetry and mounts. The analyses showed that the three ensembles, all of which are traceable in Saxony without a gap since 1768, exhibit significant differences with respect to their construction, the design of the marquetry and its execution, as well as to the processing of the mounts. These varied features enable the distinction of two production types that may suggest their manufacturing in two different workshops.