Empire-style Clock Featuring A “napoleonic Bicorne Hat” And A Cherub, Gilded Bronze, Paris, 1805–1810

Elegant mercury-gilded bronze mantel clock, Paris, Empire period, circa 1805–1810. The finial, of great iconographic originality, depicts a cherub seated in a trumpet-shaped seat with a curving profile, surmounted by a military bicorne hat adorned with a cockade and a feathered plume—a direct reference to Napoleonic military uniforms and a symbol of imperial glory; the seat rests on corbel legs ending in classical-style female heads, in keeping with the Neo-Egyptian style that became widespread in Paris following the Egyptian Campaign of 1798–1801 and was codified by the court architects Percier and Fontaine. The case, shaped like a cornucopia and decorated with a radiating shell motif, palmettes, and rosettes, is supported by four volute feet featuring swan protomes; the white enamel dial, with Roman numerals and burnished steel hands, bears the watchmaker’s signature in the lower reserve. The rectangular base, decorated with a frieze of ovules and darts, features on its front a refined bas-relief depicting cherubs in a marine scene, resting on knurled ball-shaped feet. The quality of the casting and chasing is exceptional, characteristic of the finest work by the Parisian bronze casters and gilders active for the imperial court during the first fifteen years of the 19th century. The mercury gilding is of impeccable quality, and the overall condition is very good.