20209M-001

Specters from the abyss This unique piece showcases the technique of grisaille enamel au blanc de Limoges, selected to depict a spectacular dance of the jellyfish, set in the darkness of the ocean depths. The blanc de Limoges, a white, oil-based enamel, was drawn out and sculpted with a tiny brush and a needle on a ground of blue translucent enamel to obtain subtle monochromes expressing the diffuse light that penetrates the ocean depths, and the finesse of the sea creatures’ tentacles and the leaves of the algae. White pearlescent paint produced the tiny dots suggesting the ripples in the water. The enameller took particular care with the table clock dome, where the irradiant effect of the luminous rays draws on the Geneva technique of enamel under flux, a transparent enamel. Each enameled plate required from 10 to 12 firings at a temperature of approximately 780°C. An hour circle in white mother-of-pearl presents applied baton-style hour markers adorned with rhodium plating, and leaf-shaped hands, also rhodium plated and encrusted with mother-of-pearl. This clock is powered by a 17’’’ PEND mechanical movement rewound by an electric motor.