Clock And Candlestick Bronze Watchmaker: Mougin

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A Napoleon III period mantel garniture, crafted around 1860 in gilt bronze, comprising a mantel clock and a pair of five-light candelabra; the set exemplifies the Second Empire’s taste for the Louis XV Rocaille style, reinterpreted with remarkable decorative exuberance.

The pieces rest on broad, shaped bases with undulating contours, defined by finely chased moldings and supported by small circular feet. The fully openwork bases feature a spectacular architectural design composed of bold asymmetrical scrolls, counter-curves, scrolling foliage, bursting shells, and Rocaille cartouches—forming an intricate sculptural network that allows light to pass through freely. Interlacing crossbars weave elegantly around openwork sections, lending the ensemble a sense of lightness despite the richness of the material.

The clock rises with a strikingly slender vertical profile. Its fully contoured case adopts a sinuous silhouette, animated by deep moldings and prominent foliate brackets flanking the central body. The sides feature large openings adorned with openwork grilles and carved scrolls, while the lower section expands into an imposing Rocaille composition of acanthus leaves, open shells, and vigorous scrolling foliage.

The circular white enamel dial is framed by a gilt-bronze bezel. It features a double scale: hours in blue Roman numerals and minutes in black Arabic numerals set along a peripheral track. Slender, richly pierced gilt-bronze hands enhance the ensemble's refinement. Beneath the dial, a delicate bouquet of finely chased roses and naturalistic flowers blooms within a molded frame, creating a harmonious transition to the bold brackets below. The upper section is crowned by a spectacular finial featuring a large radiating shell from which springs a rich spray of foliage, flowers, and sweeping rocaille scrolls, creating a dynamic silhouette that elegantly tops the composition. The movement bears the Mougin stamp, a mark of high-quality craftsmanship.

The two candelabra faithfully echo the clock’s decorative vocabulary, creating a perfectly cohesive garniture. Their shaped, openwork bases replicate the same motifs of acanthus leaves, shells, rocaille cartouches, and foliate scrolls. They support an elegant pedestal adorned with bold scrolls and a substantial gadrooned vase decorated with floral garlands and broad water leaves. The central stem rises as a cluster of leafy stalks, giving way to five candle arms harmoniously arranged around the central axis. Each arm features a graceful, scroll-like curve, richly ornamented with acanthus leaves and finely chased veining. The shaped drip pans hold gadrooned candle cups decorated with foliage and floral garlands. At the top of each candelabra rises a fifth central light, crowned by an elegant openwork flame-shaped finial—comprising an ornamental vase topped by a prominent rocaille flourish—which lends a majestic verticality to the ensemble.

The quality of the bronze, the precision of the chasing, the richness of the relief work, and the finesse of the gilding perfectly showcase the virtuosity of Parisian bronziers during the Napoleon III period, making this imposing garniture a remarkable example of mid-19th-century French decorative metalwork.

Original mechanism intact and unmodified. Strikes the hours and half-hours on an antique bell with a clear, authentic tone.

Pendule : Hauteur : 42 cm / Largeur : 21 cm / Profondeur : 16 cm
Chandeliers : Hauteur 50 cm / Largeur : 23 cm