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A170-25 · Aneroid
the third quarter of the 19th century
Object Overview
This exquisite Napoleon III Ormolu and Rouge Griotte Marble Aneroid Barometer, titled “L’Atmosphère du Théâtre,” is a truly theatrical work of decorative art crafted by Jean-François Denière, one of the most distinguished Parisian bronziers and decorators of the second half of the 19th century. His bronzes are represented in Versailles, the Louvre, and the Mobilier National. Pieces of this kind, noted for their high level of artistic craftsmanship and symbolic richness, were created to adorn aristocratic interiors and were often classified as objets de luxe—works of art that tell stories.
This barometer is not merely a functional instrument but a sculptural tableau in miniature, stylistically akin to the decorative arts of the Empire and Napoleon III periods, incorporating elements of theatrical allegory. It is a grand interior object for a salon, quite possibly custom-made—which would significantly limit the number of such pieces ever produced. While Denière’s oeuvre includes clocks, candelabra, thermometers, and fireplace ornaments, a barometer—especially of such design—is a rare occurrence. Virtually no similar models are known, suggesting this may be a unique creation or part of a highly limited commission.
n/a
simplex (American)
gilt bronze, glass, marble, silvered brass
The barometer rests on an oval base of Rouge Griotte marble, deep wine-red with light and grey veining, and a soft polished gloss. The base stands on four round feet, styled as threaded ormolu spheres, giving the structure both stability and visual lightness.
Around the perimeter of the marble base, front and back, runs a double ornamental frieze: the lower band is decorated with a garland of laurel leaves cast in gilded bronze, set on a marble backing; the upper edge is encircled by a row of so-called perles, or pearl-beading, characteristic of Empire and Second Empire decorative language. On either side of the marble base are bronze motifs reminiscent of flower rosettes with sculpted petals arranged in symmetrical formations. A central convex detail suggests either a bud or a decorative rivet fixing the ornament to the marble.
At the center of this refined composition sits the aneroid barometer enclosed in a gilt bronze ring. But this is more than a casing—it is stylized as a tambourine, complete with raised elements along the rim that echo the jingling cymbals of the instrument. The barometer thus becomes part of a musical allegory—suggesting rhythm, perhaps of the scene, the spectacle, or of life itself.
The composition unveils an allegory of art and transience:
The piece unites air, sound, and illusion, fusing the barometer—a weather-predicting instrument—with theatrical and musical emblems. It becomes, in essence, a capsule of atmosphere—capturing the spirit of the Belle Époque, where mood, spectacle, and weather itself become facets of the same grand performance. Here, every element—from rose to tambourine—plays its part in an allegory of ephemerality, transformation, and artifice.
The barometer’s capsule has a classic circular shape, slightly tilted forward for better legibility. The dial is protected by a gently domed glass fitted into a finely fluted rotating bezel. The face is made of silvered brass, with a concentric barometric scale in centimeters of mercury, annotated with detailed French weather descriptors.
The movement hidden inside the housing is crafted with exceptional mechanical care. At its heart lies the aneroid capsule with a central actuator, which presses upon a main lever arm. This arm is balanced with a delicately shaped counterweight resembling antlers. The main arm activates a secondary lever, from which a bicycle-chain-style linkage pulls upward to the needle shaft. Around this shaft coils a return spring that controls the movement of the pointer.
This barometer embodies the quintessential luxuries of the Second Empire: a synthesis of science and theatre, utility and symbolism, transforming a meteorological device into a piece of sculptural art. A creation of Denière’s atelier at this level is more than an accessory—it is an object of applied art, equally at home on the writing desk of a Parisian aesthete or the marble console of an actress’s boudoir in the age of Napoleon III.