Fire-gilded Empire-style bronze pendulum mantel clock, ‘The Two Readers’, by Honoré Pons, c. 1815
Key facts
- Country of manufacture
- France
- Production time
- around 1815
Description
Fire-gilded Empire-style bronze pendule clock ‘La Bibliothèque’ or ‘Two Children Studying’, attributed to Pons, c. 1815 An oval bronze plinth, supported by four squashed-ball feet and divided by a zigzag moulding, featuring garland decoration, above which, in the centre, is a bookshelf housing the clockwork mechanism; to the right and left of this are two seated children, dressed in chitons and reading books, with curly hair. The fire-gilding is in very good condition; only the polished surfaces (on the reverse) show wear typical of the piece’s age. The case has been completely dismantled, all individual parts carefully cleaned and subsequently reassembled. The functioning movement, with a thread suspension and hook escapement, runs for approximately one week and strikes the half and full hours on a bell; it has been fully overhauled and readjusted, and is marked ‘Pons’ (on the dial side), The dial, movement and case are all original and belong together. The guilloché and fire-gilded dial with Roman numerals is well preserved apart from a few scratches. Dimensions: Height: 44 cm Width: 30 cm Depth: 20 cm The key, pendulum and a bell are included in the offer. Bibliography: Elke Niehäuser, *Die Französische Bronzeuhr*, p. 184