MANTLE CLOCK, MERCURY OR HERMES. BRONZE. PARIS, FRANCE, 19TH CENTURY.
Antiques -
Reference: ZF0949
Table clock, Mercury/Hermes. Bronze, metal. Paris, France, ca. 1825. In working order. Movement with engraving (signature). Table clock with a bronze case, combining a gilt finish (base, caduceus, rooster) and a dark blue finish. The pedestal has four legs (with a claw finish and decorated with classicist elements) on which there is a smooth rectangular area, which gives way to a smaller one with a garland of architectural palmettes in slight relief; this second area has a relief decoration resembling a panoply (lyre with tortoiseshell, bows, ivy, cane, etc.). Above is the male figure in blued bronze, sitting sideways on a trunk on which is the dial (metal, Roman numerals for the hours) framed with a snake; next to it is a rooster in a gilt finish. This half-naked young man is Hermes or Mercury, a deity from classical mythology related to commerce, communication, etc., and often known for carrying a caduceus (in his hand, made of gilded bronze) and wings on a helmet or hat with a certain shape (note also present on one foot). The rooster was one of the animals that often accompanied Mercury. There are several known cases very similar to that of the present clock: two by Louis-Sanislas Lenoir-Ravrio (one with a blued figure and a marble base in the Musée de l'Horlogerie in Geneva; another with a gilt bronze figure, in the Royal Pavilion in Brighton - England); one dated around 1825 and attributed to this same master (blued figure but the tree trunk of the dial and other details in gilt bronze; pedestal in a similar composition to the present one) in a private collection; another without attribution in the "bureau du directeur" (General inventory of the cultural heritage of the City of Lyon, France) dated with some doubt to the third quarter of the 19th century, which is very similar to this one. The Paris machinery of the clock has two joined initials engraved on one side and a name in capital letters above the text "a Paris" on the other, alluding to the watchmaker responsible for it. Similar model sold at Sothebys auction 06.07.2011 lot 96. Weight: 21 kg.
· Size: 43x16x62 cms.
7.500 €
