Clock with Cupids by D'Aureville, Chameroy and Maison Barbot, France, c. 1860

Dial signed H. Houdebine, Fabricant de Bronzes, Rue de Turenne 64, Paris and clockwork signed Japy Frères & Cie – Médaille d’Honneur A very fine neo-Greek style clock set made up of...

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 ...

A black and red marble clock in the shape of an Egyptian temple attributed to G. Servant, flanked by double columns inscribed with hieroglyphs and ornated with a winged uraeus, all made in two patina bronze. The clock is surmounted by a patinated bronze sphinx. Resting on four bronze faces wearing the nemes and terminating in lion paw feet. Georges Emile Henri Servant (circa 1828-1890) who took over his father in 1855 at their foundry, rue Vieille-du-Temple, in Paris, specialized in the production of neo-Egyptian style clocks, very popular in France since 1860s, and also the making of Greek style decorative objects. He drew considerable attention to the high quality of his bronzes at the 1855 Paris Universal Exhibition and then at the 1862 London Exhibition. At this time Servant exported up to 40% of his production, principally to the United States, where for instance, his sphinx clocks were sold with great success by Louis Tiffany Inc. or Hamann & Roche of New York (A similar clock is now exposed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York). But his success came really at the 1867 Paris Universal Exhibition, where he was awarded a gold medal for his neo-Greek and Egyptian works (Les Merveilles...

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...

Fine aesthetic movement clock in cloisonné enamel and gilded bronze, decorated with polychromed birds and flowers, and geometric gilded ornaments on a ...

Floral and decorated neoclassical ormolu clock, figuring two baluster columns joined together by a floral arch, and topped by a crown of rose...

French Empire gilt bronze mantel clock with Venus and Cupid French, early 19th Century Measures: Height 53cm, width 37.5cm, depth 13.5cm This fine Empire period mantel clock is crafted from gilt bronze. The clock includes a sculptural surmount of Venus accompanied by Cupid. Venus sits atop the square clock...

Beautiful and refined table clock in mercury-gilt bronze, with original gilding. The decoration presents the allegory of love, with Cupid sitting and leaning on the arch, while on th...

French Louis XVI-style (19th Century) bronze dore and white marble oval shaped mantel clock with 2 cupids reading book at top. (Not working)

Magnificent and very rare French Directoire or Empire clock in patinated bronze and the finest highly worked ormolu. Set upon toupee feet below a rectangular ormolu base with applied...

French Tortoiseshell Boulle Clock c.1860 Waisted case veneered with red tortoiseshell with finely figured brass and ormolu mounts, surmounted w...

French Empire Ormolu and marble vert mantel clock of Cupid whispering. Wonderful original fire gilded mercury ormolu. The quality of the casting and chasing is superb, from the indiv...