A Napoleon III ormolu-mounted white marble obelisk mantel clock

IN THE NEOCLASSIC STYLE, BY VICTOR PAILLARD, PARIS, THIRD QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

Details

A Napoleon III ormolu-mounted white marble obelisk mantel clock
In the Neoclassic style, By Victor Paillard, Paris, Third quarter 19th Century
Surmounted by Cupid, the spreading case set with a conforming relief plaque depicting a pair of nymphs supporting a globe and Cupid, above the enamelled dial with Roman chapters, garlands, and twin-train movement, with sunburst pendulum, on paw-cast feet, flanked to each side by a tazza, on a breakfront shaped plinth inset with paterae flanking a relief plaque of frolicking putti, on toupie feet, the surmount inscribed VP
39 in. (99.1 cm.) high; 17½ in. (44.5 cm.) wide; 7½ in. (19 cm.) deep

Lot Essay

A popular form of the Neoclassic period, obelisk clocks evoked in miniature the many monuments erected since antiquity, principally in Egypt, commemorating a celebrated victory or significant event. Executed in marble and decorated with relief-cast gilt-bronze plaques, the clocks were generally surmounted by military emblems, such as an eagle with outspread wings, an armillary sphere, or a crowing cockerel. For three clocks with similar central relief plaque to the present example, see P. Kjellberg, La Pendule Française, Paris, 1997, pp. 218-9.

More from 19th Century Furniture, Sculpture, Works of Art and

View All