Japanese Elephant Mantel Clock - France, Late 19th Century

An important French mantel clock from the late 19th century, in the Japanese Orientalist style very much in vogue under Napoleon III.

It features an elegant decoration composed of a black patinated elephant surmounted by a richly ornate dial with blue enameled Roman numerals, and an Asian figure holding a parasol. The whole rests on a moving base with rich gilded rocaille ornamentation.

Original mechanical bell-ringing movement, marked E.P. Lepel and numbered 3697.A spectacular decorative piece, emblematic of the taste for exoticism and the arts of the Orient that characterized the French decorative arts of the late 19th century.