Keeping Time: Clocks by Boulle

For the first time, the Wallace Collection brings together clocks by André-Charles Boulle (1642–1732), the most famous cabinetmaker to have worked for the court of the Sun King, Louis XIV.

In this free display, five exceptional timepieces tell the story of how Boulle takes advantage of scientific discoveries to create unique clock designs in glittering baroque style, the influence of which spread across the world and centuries. The clocks were the work of many hands, involving leading artists and craftspeople from all over 18th-century Paris.

Many of Boulle’s contemporaries also drew on the concept of time in their work. This theme is explored in a complementary display in the museum’s Billiard Room, which unites two magnificent artworks: The Dance to the Music of Time by Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665) and The Borghese Dancers by Henri Perlan (1597–1656) and François Anguier (1604–1669).