Fire-gilded Empire-style bronze pendulum mantel clock, ‘The Judgement of Paris’, Paris, c. 1810
Key facts
- Country of manufacture
- France
- Production time
- around 1810
Description
Extremely rare, fire-gilt Empire-style bronze pendulum clock ‘The Judgement of Paris’, Paris, c. 1810 An extremely rare subject. A plinth resting on four feet, divided by an acanthus leaf frieze, featuring finely crafted relief (three beauties – Athena, Hera and Aphrodite – bidding farewell to two men – Hermes? and Paris?), above which, on the right, stands Paris leaning on his shepherd’s crook, thoughtfully holding the golden apple in his hand; in the centre is the clockwork mechanism; above that, a small relief depicting Paris handing the golden apple to Aphrodite; on the left, a bow and quiver with arrows; the composition is crowned by the large Greek helmet and sword. The original fire-gilding (matt and polished) has areas of loss (mainly on the polished surfaces, as well as on the upper body and right arm of Paris (reddish patches)), minor areas of loss or restoration (sword hilt, 1st arrow in the quiver, etc.) as well as deformations and scratches – see photographs. The functioning movement, featuring a pendulum suspended by a thread, an anchor escapement and a lock-disc striking mechanism (full and half hours), is in good working order. The guilloché, gold-plated dial with Roman numerals is slightly scuffed. Blued steel hands. Dimensions: Height: 49.5 cm Width: 36.5 cm Depth: 12 cm A matching pendulum (short pendulum) and a key are included in the offer.