Eugene CORNU (1827-1899) and Gustave VIOT & CIE - Lot 2

Eugene CORNU (1827-1899) and Gustave VIOT & CIE Gilt bronze and silver-plated Japanese clock decorated with a crane holding a twig in its beak. Enameled dial encircled by geometric motifs and a flowering branch. Bronze-set onyx base with bamboo motif. Circa 1865-1870 Height: 32 cm The sculptor Eugène Cornu (1827-1899), based at 29 rue Popincourt in Paris, first worked as a draftsman and works manager for the Tahan company, before working closely with the Compagnie des Marbres Onyx d'Algérie, headed by Gustave Viot, successor to Alphonse Pallu, from 1858 onwards. Their work was highly luxurious, combining onyx with bronze and sometimes enamel. Viot's works were created from models by renowned sculptors such as Eugène Cornu, Albert Carrier-Belleuse (Victoria & Albert Museum, Inv. 9070-1863), Charles Cordier (Orsay, Inv. RF 2996) or Louis- Ernest Barrias (Orsay, Inv. RF 1409), earning them honors and awards from the juries of the events in which they participated: such as the Exposition Universelle de Paris in 1867, where Maison Viot was awarded the gold medal in the luxury furniture section.