French mantel clock with orrery attributed to Antide Janvier, £74,000 at Dreweatts.
The highlight of the sale of Fine Clocks, Barometers and Scientific Instruments at Dreweatts was this French mantel clock with orrery c.1810. Although unsigned, it is thought to be by the talented Paris clockmaker Antide Janvier (1751-1835).
Working during the last days of the Ancien Regime and into the Consulat and Empire periods, Janvier gained a reputation as a maker of ingenious and complicated clocks.