Pierre-Victor Ledure (1783-184?) was one of the leading bronziers in the early 19th eeuw, with an extensive and influential clientèle. Several important collections contain his work, like the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. Born in Paris, Ledure became an apprentice of the famous bronzier André-Antoine Ravrio (1759-1814), who became one of his best friends.
This pendule has a definite Egyptian flavour, the Rétour d’Égpte. This style orginated after Napoleon’s Egyptian Expedition of 1798-1799. Napoleon himself left the expedition prematurely and hurried back to France at the end of August 1798. He arrived at Fréjus on October 19th. A year and a month later he was France’s undisputed leader as its Firts Consul, after a messy but succesful coup d’état.