Empire-style Tall Case Clock

France, first quarter of the 19th century

Mahogany and mercury-gilded bronze, height 163 cm
A refined French Empire-period tall case clock, with a slender, tapering silhouette crafted in mahogany and richly adorned with finely chased mercury-gilded bronze mounts. The dial is engraved in low relief with Roman numerals in decorated cartouches and openwork hands over a radiating star motif. The top is framed by neoclassical elements: ears of wheat, a Greek key frieze, and an acroterial urn.
Beneath the dial, a gilt bronze mount with winged griffins and a central shell precedes a classical trophy of arms with wheel, arrows, laurel and ribbons. The central shaft features a large oval medallion depicting Aurora (or Diana) riding a chariot drawn by winged horses — a mythological allegory of the passage of time.
The movement, housed in the upper case, is a striking pendulum mechanism with original brass components. A superb example of decorative French horology from the Napoleonic era.