Daniel Marot Daniel Marot was a French-born Dutch architect, decorative designer and engraver whose opulent and elaborate designs contributed to European styles of decoration in the late 1600s and early 1700s. Born in Paris in 1661, Marot learned his trade from both his father, Jean Marot, an architect and engraver, and celebrated designer and engraver Jean La Pautre. Marot and his family were Huguenots (French Protestants) and left France in 1685, just before the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Although Marot was a prominent figure in the court of Louis XIV, the extent of the persecution of Huguenots was so severe that leaving France was the only way in which his safety could be guaranteed. The Marot family emigrated to Holland, where the young Marot entered the service of the Dutch Stadtholder William, Prince of Orange (later King William III and II of England and Scotland, respectively); thus, Marot brought the fully developed court style of Louis XIV to Holland. While in the Netherlands Marot, was involved in the design of the interiors of the Het Loo palace in Apeldoorn. When William and his wife Mary (of the House of Stuart) moved to England in 1689 to rule as King and Queen Regnant, Marot was summoned to London to work for the new monarchs, and in 1694, William appointed Marot to be one of his royal architects and his Master of Works. During his time in London, Marot contributed to the design and layout of the gardens of Hampton Court Palace, and it is probable that he was consulted on the decoration and furnishing of the palace’s interiors. More than anyone, he was responsible for introducing to England the Louis XIV court style, and, over time, this prevailed in styles of interior design, including fashions in furniture. This decorative influence was popularly known as William and Mary style, and this descriptor remains in use to this day. Marot’s French-inspired baroque style also influenced the construction of clock cases during the joint reign of William and Mary (1689 - 1694). Indeed, during the later 1600s, clock cases were often manufactured and designed by those who had been trained as cabinet-makers. These makers took their inspiration from the fashions of furniture. During the 1690s, Marot appears to have collaborated with the great clockmaker Thomas Tompion, designing numerous cases for Tompion clocks that had been commissioned by William, who was also Tompion's patron. It is likely that Marot was introduced to Tompion by way of William. Of course, it is also possible that Tompion became friendly with Marot by way of his own connections to the greatest makers, designers and scientific thinkers of his day. The case design of two Tompion clocks, both exhibited on Clocktime, have been confidently attributed to Marot. The first of these is the Queen Mary Tompion, a striking spring table clock made around 1693. The Queen Mary Tompion’s Boulle case is covered with a red turtleshell veneer that artfully incorporates pewter inlays and a sunburst centre (just above the XII) with floral garlands on the door. It is based directly on Marot’s Late Baroque-style architectural and furniture designs. The case was probably ordered from the Paris-based master craftsman André-Charles Boulle (b. 1642, d. 1732) and most likely made by a Huguenot refugee, possibly even Marot himself. Marot’s design genius can also be appreciated on the beautiful Selby Lowndes Tompion (No. 217) made around 1693, which is housed in an architectural two-tiered case with gilt mounts. Its baroque design includes a series of newly commissioned mounts and multi-piece regal feet. Marot also appears to have collaborated with Tompion on the elaborately decorated and complicated Mostyn Tompion clock at the British Museum (Museum Number: 1982,0702.1). It was made in 1689. This is a year-going, quarter-repeating, spring-driven calendar clock. Additionally, some of Marot’s later engravings also suggest a link to Tompion, as they feature longcase clocks with remarkable similarities to those produced by Tompion during the 1690s. For an example of a Tompion longcase produced during this decade, see the Millbourn Tompion, which was made around 1699 and is exhibited on Clocktime. Despite the above evidence, the nature and extent of Tompion and Marot’s professional relationship is not known. Whatever the case, the presumed collaboration between the two, appears to have been facilitated by Marot’s proximity to Tompion during the 1690s, when Marot was based in London and working for King William. This observation is supported by the fact that Marot returned to Holland in 1702, and no Tompion-Marot clocks are known to have been made after this time. It was Williams death in 1702 that prompted Marot’s return to Holland that year, and this is where he lived out his remaining years. During this time, his involvement in various architectural projects included designing the Royal Library and houses for various wealthy patrons. Daniel Marot died in The Hague in The Netherlands on 4 June 1752. Dr Kristin Leith, Curator of Clocktime March 2024 (updated December 2025) Image Credit Daniel Marot (1661–1752), architect, furniture designer, garden designer and engraver. Jacob Gole, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dani%C3%ABl_Marot_(1661-1752).jpg
