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Clock with ram's heads and Paris porcelain
| Materials: | Gilt bronze, Porcelain |
|---|---|
| Era: | Napoléon III 1852 - 1870 (Second Empire) |
| Period: | XIXe siècle |
| Provenance: | French |
- Restored to original condition with original appearance.
- Full overhaul of watch movement, perfect working order.
- Perfect authenticity, without modification.
- Original gilding.
- Winding key & pendulum
- Operating instructions, how to start your clock.
- Certificate of authenticity, invoice.
- Ringtone on ancient bell, hour and a half-hour
Height: 46 cm
Width: 40 cm
Depth: 18 cm
Description
This remarkable clock, crafted from finely chased and gilt bronze during the Napoleon III period (circa 1860), is distinguished by its monumental and perfectly symmetrical architecture. It elegantly blends Louis XVI and Renaissance decorative styles, reflecting the eclectic taste characteristic of the Second Empire. Its rich ornamentation, enhanced by delicate Paris porcelain plaques, demonstrates an exceptional level of craftsmanship in both the quality of the chasing and the finesse of the painting.
At the summit rises a substantial gadrooned urn, resting on a circular pedestal foot. The bowl is adorned with a water-leaf frieze and holds an abundant gilt-bronze floral arrangement featuring full-blown roses, buds, foliage, and clusters of berries. This urn sits upon a truncated conical base with sloping sides, encircled at the top by an elegant gallery featuring dentil and bead moldings. The front face depicts a charming winged putto reclining amidst flowers, rendered with remarkable painterly finesse.
The circular dial is set within a gilt-bronze bezel accented by a beaded frieze. It features elegant Paris porcelain decoration against a celestial blue background. Twelve white enamel cartouches display gilt Roman numerals, separated by delicate, stylized gilt floral motifs. At the center of the dial, a delightful painted scene unfolds, depicting Cupid amidst a floral arrangement, accompanied by a dove and the attributes of Love. The lower section of the design features a tambourine, a flower-adorned hat, ribbons, and polychrome flowers, lending a gentle quality to the whole. Elegant openwork gilt-bronze hands harmoniously complete this refined composition. Beneath the dial sit two trapezoidal Paris porcelain plaques, decorated with hand-painted polychrome floral bouquets on a white ground—framed by a gilt line and a broad *bleu céleste* (sky-blue) background—creating a pleasing transition to the base. Flanking the central body are bold, scrolling volutes reminiscent of architectural consoles. They are embellished with large, deeply veined acanthus leaf sprays that sweep elegantly upward toward the top corners. The upper terminals are crowned by spectacular, masterfully sculpted ram's heads with sweeping, curled horns; the quality of their modeling perfectly exemplifies the craftsmanship of Parisian bronze-makers of the period.
The clock rests on a substantial, complexly shaped base featuring multiple projections and alternating inclined planes, moldings, and curved surfaces. At the center, a spectacular Louis XVI-style bow with wide, flowing ribbons serves as the primary decorative motif. Suspended from a central rosette, it allows two long swags of drapery to fall, ending in stylized tassels. The base is richly adorned with numerous Paris porcelain plaques painted with bouquets of roses, peonies, pansies, and wildflowers in shades of pink, mauve, blue, and yellow—each framed by gilt lines against a *bleu céleste* ground. Their symmetrical arrangement brings a harmonious liveliness to the entire façade.
The piece is lavishly decorated with a spectacular gilt-bronze floral garland spanning the full width of the base. Open roses, buds, daisies, wildflowers, and foliage intertwine naturally in a remarkably dynamic composition, showcasing exceptional chasing and matte finishing. The base moldings feature a succession of delicately chased friezes—including egg-and-dart, water leaves, ribbons, beadwork, and foliate motifs—that enhance the overall decorative richness. At the lower center, an imposing, deeply carved fan-shaped acanthus mount unfolds, visually balancing the composition and emphasizing the monumental quality of the base. The piece rests on four elegant, turned circular feet—adorned with gadrooning and beaded friezes—which ensure perfect stability while maintaining a sense of visual lightness.
The piece is lavishly decorated with a spectacular gilt-bronze floral garland spanning the full width of the base. Open roses, buds, daisies, wildflowers, and foliage intertwine naturally in a remarkably dynamic composition, showcasing exceptional chasing and matte finishing. The base moldings feature a succession of delicately chased friezes—including egg-and-dart, water leaves, ribbons, beadwork, and foliate motifs—that enhance the overall decorative richness. At the lower center, an imposing, deeply carved fan-shaped acanthus mount unfolds, visually balancing the composition and emphasizing the monumental quality of the base. The piece rests on four elegant, turned circular feet—adorned with gadrooning and beaded friezes—which ensure perfect stability while maintaining a sense of visual lightness.
The high-quality mechanical movement bears the stamp of Japy Frères—an iconic 19th-century French clockmaking firm—guaranteeing excellent precision and craftsmanship that meets the standards of the era's leading Parisian houses.
With its extraordinarily rich ornamentation, finely chased details, high-quality gilding, abundance of hand-painted Paris porcelain plaques, and highly elaborate architecture, this impressive clock stands as a remarkable testament to the decorative luxury of the Second Empire (Napoleon III) period, perfectly exemplifying the refined taste of fine Parisian craftsmanship from the 1860s.
The original mechanism is intact and unaltered. It strikes the hours and half-hours on an antique bell with a clear and authentic sound.
Questions
Easily pay for your purchases using our highly protected bank card system with SSL certificate and 256 bit encryption, ensuring confidentiality when any information is transferred. On a web browser, the OVH SSL certificate activates the HTTPS protocol and displays a padlock in the navigation bar. This shows that any transaction is encrypted and confidential, and that your website address has been authenticated.
Our items mainly stem from the inheritance of objects, preciously looked after over numerous generations. There is a stringent selection process for each object ensuring perfect authenticity and the optimal amount of gilding
We do not use the term “Restoration”, which implies a significant transformation or major repair that modifies an object’s authenticity or original appearance. Each object is completely dismantled, then thoroughly cleaned part by part; our cleaning technique restores shine without adversely affecting the gold. We then put the clock back together, returning all the various parts to their origin location, as well as all the nuts and screws. Subsequently, the item is inspected to ensure it is perfectly even, symmetrical, and smooth, etc.
The clock’s movement undergoes a complete overhaul; it is totally dismantled, cleaned and each individual part is polished. The duration of this procedure affects the shine: we prefer to obtain a brilliant shine, in keeping with the gilding of the object. To increase the strength and quality of the gears, we apply a very important procedure, known as bouchonnage, to correct for wear accumulated over years of operation, consisting in the placing cork of stoppers in any pivot holes that have become deformed by wear. After the clock has been completely reassembled, it is tested over a long period of time to ensure that the movement, as well as the hour and half-hour strikes, are operating correctly.
- Akzeptierte Kreditkarten: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, Discover und Diners Club.
- Bank transfer: You can also send us a copy of the bank transfer order to speed up the processing of your order.
Upon dispatch of your order, you will be sent a parcel tracking number by email.
Delivery anywhere in the world.
France: - Clocks: 3 days preparation work + 2 days for delivery - Total: 5 business days - Decorative objects: 1 days preparation work + 2 days for delivery - Total: 3 business days
Europe - Clocks: 3 days preparation work + 3 days for delivery - Total: 6 business days - Decorative objects: 1 day preparation work + 3 days for delivery - Total: 6 business days
Other countries - Clocks: 3 days preparation work + 3-8 days for delivery - Decorative objects: 1 days preparation work + 3-8 days for delivery
Easily pay for your purchases using our highly protected bank card system with SSL certificate and 256 bit encryption, ensuring confidentiality when any information is transferred. On a web browser, the OVH SSL certificate activates the HTTPS protocol and displays a padlock in the navigation bar. This shows that any transaction is encrypted and confidential, and that your website address has been authenticated.
You will receive—by email and a paper version—an explanatory document containing all the necessary instructions and recommendations for operating your clock. We also provide assistance over the phone to guide you through the start-up procedure. Of course, we will continue to be available—by both telephone and email—to answer any questions you may have. For calls in German or English, please make an appointment first via email, providing us with your telephone number, and the date and time you wish to contact us. Contact.
- Click on the button “add to basket” to add an object. - Once you have finished your order, click on “view contents of basket” located at the bottom of the screen or on small the “shopping trolley” icon at the top right. - click “Complete my order” or “order” - Fill in the invoicing address details, you also have the possibility to send the parcel to a different address. - Select the payment method - To confirm your order, click “order now”
By email, you will be sent: - confirmation of your order & payment - Parcel tracking information
Every purchase comes with a certificate of authenticity and an invoice
High quality certificate of authenticity printed on photo paper with text and photos providing all the information concerning your object. Detailed invoice indicating the price paid for the object.
