"Chinese" Giltwood Clock After a Design by Thomas Johnson, England, circa 1860

Dial signed Polti Frères Measures: With base or glass: Height 61 cm (24 in.), width 51,5 cm (20.3 in.), depth 23.5 cm (9,2 in.) Without base: Height 52 cm (20,5 in.), width 42 cm (16.5 in.), depth 12.5 cm (4.9 in.) Important philhellenic clock in burnished and amati gilded bronze, finely chiseled, representing on the terrace a couple elegantly dressed in "the turkish style", and richly decorated with foliage, scrolls and flowers. The feet, decorated with water leaves, rest on an oval wooden base covered with a globe. The theme of the clock comes from The Giaour, a fragment of a Turkish Tale, an English poem by Lord Byron published in may 1813 which tells the thwarted love of a Venetian, the Giaour – term by which the Turks designate infidels and especially Christians – and of Leila, a slave belonging to Hassan’s seraglio, military leader of a Turkish province. The betrayal of Leila discovered, she will be thrown into the sea and her lover will avenge her by killing Hassan, then taking refuge in a monastery. Symbol of prestige and modernity, the decorative clocks are a reflection of the taste of the era of a wealthy bourgeoisie and may be the subject of diplomatic gifts or between individuals. Beyond the purely decorative aspect of such objects, watchmaking in the 19th century is part of a subtle mix of political, historical and literary references. This philhellenic movement converning the West finds a particular echo in France, one of the countries with the United Kingdom and Russia having suported the Greeks during their war of independance (1821-1830) to free oneself from the grip of the Ottoman Empire. Many clocks...

Marked on the dial Furet & Bon, Hrs du Roy, à Paris Measures: Clock – Height 98 cm (38 1/2 in.), width 70 cm (27 1/2 in.), depth 25 cm (9 3/4 in.) Candelabra – Height 116 cm (45 ...

Very fine floral and decorated Restauration period ormolu clock, figuring two baluster columns joint together by a floral arch, and topped by a crown of roses. Roman numbers indicate...

Signed on the dial A. Beurdeley Paris Mechanism signed J LEFEBVRE FILS PARIS Rare Louis XVI style clock in mercury-gilded and patinated chiseled bronze and white marble. In the form...

A fine and elaborate gilt bronze and Sèvres-style porcelain mantel clock. French, circa 1870. A fine and elaborate gilt bronze and Sèvres-style porcelain mantel clock with a fo...

The case of this Louis XV period mantel clock is attributed to Jean Joseph de Saint-Germain (Paris, 1719-1791). Decorated with a scrolled leaf motif throughout, the fine case is surmounted by an Asian figure in costume, holding a parasol and sitting on a throne. The clock itself was created by Nicolas Charles du...

This Sèvres style clock is an elegant piece of late 19th century design, which will make a wonderful addition to a mantelpiece. It has been beautifully cast in bronze and gilded (orm...

Large Johann Sachs Austrian clock in large carved wood housing with figures, flanked by decorative flower filled urns, polychromed and gilt. Carved laure...