Architectural Temple-form Clock In Carrara Marble And Gilt Bronze – France, Late 18th / Early 1

A rare and spectacular French architectural mantel clock, designed in the form of a round temple with dome, crafted from fine white Carrara marble and mercury-gilded bronze. The composition rises from a tiered and fluted circular base, richly embellished with beaded mouldings and a gilt bronze laurel wreath frieze, punctuated by four applied rosettes.
The central body is formed by a peristyle of six fluted columns with gilt bronze bases and capitals, supporting an entablature adorned with naturalistic festoons in finely chased gilt bronze and applied pilasters bearing Roman numerals (I to VI), likely corresponding to hourly strikes. At the centre, raised on a stepped plinth, stands a classically draped female figure in gilt bronze, evoking antique statuary in posture and detail.
The openwork dome above, segmented into six radiating arches, reveals the refined visible mechanism in finely worked brass, celebrating horological craftsmanship. The summit is crowned by a marble sphere surmounted by a gilded putto, who points toward the passing hours and minutes displayed on two revolving enamelled rings, with Roman numerals (hours) and Arabic numerals (minutes), read against a fixed indicator.
This exceptional timepiece belongs to a rare typology of archaeologically inspired clocks, blending Palladian architectural vocabulary with cutting-edge horological invention. Its mechanical transparency and orbital time display echo the scientific elegance of precision clockmaking at the crossroads of the Enlightenment and the Empire style.
By the quality of its materials, casting, and mechanical sophistication, this clock may be attributed to the great Parisian horological workshops of the late 18th century, in the circle of Ferdinand Berthoud, Lepaute or Bailly, representing the synergy between sculptors, bronziers, and master clockmakers.