18th Century Mantel Clock Louis XV Period By Gavelle Le Paris

Old French portico clock in Louis XVI style signed on the dial Gavelle Le, Rue aux Ours. This 18th c. The style marble clock is made up of two columns in the shape of white marble obelisks and a statue of the goddess Minerva/Athena as well as a hanging dial with a free-swinging Medusa head pendulum. The enamel dial is protected by a glass lens with an oval bronze frame, inside there are Arabic numerals indicating the hours and minutes. The figure of the goddess is made of gilded bronze and is carved with a shield and a spear in her hands, the other elements that connect to her are gilded bronze mounts on the front of the columns which contain ancient Greek like swords , armor, helmet. Athena or Minerva for the Romans, was a goddess of wisdom, war, victory and justice; in the Louise XVI style, antiquity inspired most of the elements, including the symbolism behind the Greco-Roman religious figures. The obelisks are topped with marble spheres and below is a golden cornice with a leaf pattern, surrounded by marble fence pillars connected by chains. In the base of the clock are gilt bronze friezes with vines and arches, supported by spinning top charges