Maker, Paul Pouvillon, Nogent-sur-Oise, France
1918-1939. Two train, weight-driven, pinwheel escapement, one
second wooden rod, with fine calibration from the top of the frame. Count
wheel strike, twenty one day duration. This clock is extraordinary on many
levels. It is considered to be the most complicated domestic-sized skeleton clock
made up to that time and has 44 complications
including an ecclesiastical computer; something only a handful of clocks
ever made
exhibit. The movement has over 1500 parts. All this packed into the very small space of one-half cubic foot
(0.0141 cubic meter). Movement 20"h x 6"w x 6"d, overall, with base 50"h.
This movement employs a unique type of three dimensional "space frame" rarely
seen in other horological examples. 1 The
dials appear uniformly on four of five possible sides of the rectangular shape. These also
occur within different indentations from vertical not to mention the combined tellurium
and orrery that crown the entire movement. It measures everything from
seconds to the period it takes the firmament to make a single rotation -
25,794 years. It is probable that the the worlds most complex
domestic sized astronomical skeleton clock ( 20 cubic feet, 0.566 cubic
meter) completed by Rasmus Sorens in 1966 drew some
design inspiration from this clock as well as the large institutional sized clock in
Copenhagen, Denmark by Jens Olsen. 2, 3 The
Pouvillon clock still holds the record for a skeleton clock with the number of
complications and movement complexity within its its diminutive size.
The last two black and white photos come from a dealer, Jean-Pierre Rochefort who last
had this clock in 1983; this same dealer provided these photos as they
appear in Continental and American Skeleton Clocks, Derek Roberts, pg. 122. At that time all of the planets were still attached to the
tellurium and orrery. However there eighteen planets when in reality there are
only nine. Each planet is duplicated 180 degrees apart. I believe this was an error and
that there were originally nine planets with the other side having a pointer indicating
their position within the zodiac, similar to that attached to the tellurium in the third
photo.
Paul Pouvillon won several awards from the French government in
connection with this clock.
In 1939 Mr. Pouvillon received a silver medal in Paris that same year he
was awarded the title "Meilleur Ouvier
de France"
or "Best Craftsmanship of France. In 1948 he was knighted 'Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur'.
The complications on the clock are:
1. Mean solar time for the
meridians of Greenwich and Paris
15. Days ruling planet
2. Equation of time
16. Moon phase
3. Day of week
17. Moons age
4. Zodiacal sign for day of week
18. Cyclical Lunar Month ( used in determining epact, golden number)
5. Month
19. Planisphere showing northern hemisphere at near 490
6.
Zodiacal sign for month
a. With dial showing stars at positions at different times of the day
7. Leap year
b. Position of Ursula Major and Minor for an observer
in the northern hemisphere
8. Season
c. North, South transit time of the stars
9a. Time of Sun rise
20. Sidereal time
b. Time of Sun set
21. Tellurian depicting the two inner planets plus
Earth and Moon system
c. Suns elevation
a. Moons nodes: rise, fall and
18.6 year precession
10. Length of day
b. Year indication
11. Length of night
c. Ring around Sun
12. Ecclesiastical calculator,
'computus':
d. Position of the Sun in the
zodiac
a. Dominical Letter
e. Thirteen moveable pointers showing various ecclesiastical dates related to Easter on tellurian dial
ring
b. Epact
f. Indicator showing position of the sun at noon on the Earth globe
c. Golden Number
g. Indicator showing the sun rise and sun set on the Earth globe
d. Solar Cycle
22a. Orrery with the seven remaining planets through
Pluto
e.Indiction
b. Indications of where each planet is in the zodiac
f. Day of week
23. Precession of the Zodiac over a 24,806 year cycle
g. Day that January 1st
falls on
24. Zodiac sign indication for inner and outer planets (8)
h. Date of Easter
13. State of
strike
14. Day
Total = 44
1. The Cosmochronotrope is one other example
that comes to mind. It is illustrated in Continental and American Skeleton Clocks,
Derek Roberts, pg. 204-206.
2.The Clockmaker Rasmus Sornes, Tom Sornes. 3. Jens
Olsen Clock, Otto Mortensen.
Provenance:
Christie's, London, December 9, 2010, lot 231,
(145,250 GBS, $230,561), Antiquorum Geneva, 22 April 1995, lot 162, where
acquired by the present owner (CHF. 220,000, $149,660).
Bernard Miclet, 'Paul Pouvillon M.O.F. et son horloge plantaire', Bulletin of
A.N.C.A.H.A., No.43, summer 1985, pp. 23-28.
Derek Roberts, Continental and American Skeleton Clocks, Atglen, 1988, p. 122, figs. 116 a, b, c.
Paul Pouvillon (1878-1969) was born in Nogent-sur-Oise. In 1896 he was awarded a
bronze medal at the Besanon exhibition and in 1902 he settled in his home town.
He was awarded a silver medal in Paris in 1939 for his planetary clock (Tardy
writes of him succinctly - 'Il fit une horloge astronomique') with the title 'Meilleur
Ouvrier de France'. He was made 'Chevalier de la Lgion d'Honneur in 1948.
According to Miclet (op. cit.) Pouvillon started work on this clock in 1930 and
finished in 1939 but was still carrying out further improvements in 1948.
Literature:
Bernard Miclet, 'Paul Pouvillon M.O.F. et son horloge à planetaire', Bulletin of
A.N.C.A.H.A., No.43, summer 1985. Derek Roberts, Continental and American
Skeleton Clocks, Atglen, 1988, p. 122, figs. 116a, b, c.