Clock Glass Cage Watchmaker: Japy Frères 1875

A finely chased and gilded bronze cage clock, dating from the Napoleon III period around 1875, elegantly echoing the decorative repertoire of the Louis XVI style. The architectural composition rests on a rectangular base with projecting edges, highlighted by a rich, continuous frieze of finely chased pearls, heart-shaped motifs, and stylized foliage.

The whole is supported by four gadrooned toupie feet decorated with acanthus leaves, giving the clock a stable and refined presence. The main body takes the form of a portico with four detached fluted columns, joined by a fully glazed structure that reveals the pendulum and the mechanism. The panels are composed of thick, beveled glass, accentuating the interplay of light and the preciousness of the gilt bronze. The uprights are topped with a molded entablature adorned with a gadrooned frieze and punctuated at the corners by stylized seeds and pine cones forming decorative finials.

The upper section features an elegant, curved pediment with a cyma molding, supporting the slightly projecting circular dial. This dial is framed by a substantial molded border decorated with pearls and water leaves. The domed white enamel dial, protected by a glass cover, displays the hours in black Roman numerals and the minutes in Arabic numerals, in increments of five. It is animated by delicate, openwork, gilded hands with a rich Rococo design inspired by the 18th century.

Below the dial, a sumptuous drape of fabric unfolds, held in place by knots and finished with long-fringed tassels. The finely chased details create the illusion of flowing, supple fabrics. The crowning element is a large, covered vase in the antique style, resting on a pedestal. This Medici-shaped vase features a decoration of wide, radiating gadroons, two scrolled side handles, and a lid surmounted by a flame-shaped finial. This neoclassical motif reinforces the antique inspiration of the piece, characteristic of the historicist taste of the Second Empire. The back reveals the mechanism, fully visible through the circular glass door. The movement is stamped Japy Frères, the renowned clockmaker listed in Tardy's dictionary of French watchmakers. The sunburst pendulum animates the interior of the glass case and contributes to the technical elegance of this high-quality decorative clock.

Original mechanism, unmodified, with wire suspension. Strikes the hours and half-hours on an antique bell, with a clear and authentic sound.


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