From the middle of the 19th century, Parisian clockmaker Lévy Frères, which had established a workshop in the late 1820s, was a highly successful manufacturer of timepieces in the neo-rococo style.
Its mantle clocks combined ornate gilt bronze cases with finely painted porcelain panels. These were often inspired by Sèvres and depicted renowned Old Masters, such as Raphael’s Madonna della sedia, as well as rococo portraits and genre scenes.
Incidentally, among the apprentices at the firm was Pierre Auguste Renoir, who started his artistic career as a porcelain painter.