Louis XVI Clock With An Allegorical Group Depicting Love France, Late 18th Century

An elegant Louis XVI-era clock in finely chiseled and mercury-gilded bronze, set upon a refined base of white marble and veined black marble. The ensemble is crowned by a sculpted group depicting an allegorical female figure, evoking Love or Beauty, accompanied by two putti. One presents her with a garland of flowers while the other stands affectionately by her side, creating a composition full of grace and harmony.

The circular enamel dial, signed “à Paris”, features Roman numerals for the hours as well as an outer circle indicating the days of the month. It is equipped with a high-quality Parisian eight-day movement, with a striking mechanism, driven by two separate barrels for the movement and the striking mechanism.

The white marble case is richly adorned with finely chiseled gilt-bronze appliqués depicting griffins, laurel wreaths, quivers, torches, and ancient trophies—motifs characteristic of the neoclassical decorative repertoire under the reign of Louis XVI. The balance of the proportions, the quality of the gilding, and the finesse of the sculpture attest to the craftsmanship of the finest Parisian bronze artists of the late Ancien Régime.

This clock is a remarkable example of 18th-century French decorative art, elegantly combining sculpture, architecture, and clockmaking in a particularly refined composition.

Dimensions
Height: 51 cm
Width: 38 cm
Depth: 14 cm