18th Century Pendulum Clock By Kinable In Paris

Late 18th Century - Kinable in Paris"Along a winding dirt road, the blind Belisarius carries his young guide. The boy has been bitten by a snake, which remains coiled around his bleeding leg. With his right arm wrapped around Belisarius's neck and his eyes closed, the youth is in a precarious balance between life and death. Belisarius's eyes are also closed, but guided by his staff, he advances with purpose and determination. He rises heroically against the dramatic sunset, a monumental figure creating a powerful outline against the sky. But the blazing sunset also signals a cold night and the uncertainty of the way forward. Belisarius was a popular Byzantine general in the Roman Empire whose promising career was sabotaged by the jealous Emperor Justinian I. In 1767, a novel by Jean-François Marmontel revived interest in Belisarius. In Marmontel's novel, The emperor blinds the heroic general, reducing Belisarius to begging. He is eventually rediscovered and helped by former officers and his family. This dramatic story of patriotism, injustice, and redemption was widely embraced in revolutionary and post-revolutionary France and was a popular subject for artists, including Jacques-Louis David (François Gérard's teacher), Jean-Antoine Houdon, and Jean-Baptiste Stouf (whose sculpture of Belisarius is also in the Museum's collection). For this statue, Gérard both created and departed from Marmontel's account of Belisarius's life. The general's young companion is present in Marmontel's novel. But to emphasize the subject's bravery and pathos, Gérard introduced the incapacitating snakebite. Whereas Belisarius was usually depicted begging, Gérard shows him standing erect, his muscular form in stark contrast to the weakened body of his guide. The prominent helmet hanging from Belisarius's belt highlights the general's heroic past and underlines the injustice of his disgrace. Napoleon III 19th Century Pendulum & Candelabra Set. The clock is in excellent and perfect working order. In addition, it has been recently cleaned and serviced by a professional clockmaker specializing in museum maintenance.
The eight-day movement. It strikes the hour and a half and the hour on its bell. The clock comes complete with its pendulum, key and bell.
- Clock 51cm x 48cm x 19cm.