Restauration Ormolu Clock with Orpheus and Lion
You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.
Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item
When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.
- Restauration Period - The Restauration period in French history refers to the years from 1815 to 1830. It followed the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte and the end of the Napoleonic Wars. During the Restauration, the Bourbon monarchy was restored to power in France with Louis XVIII as king. This period was characterized by a conservative and reactionary political climate, as the monarchists sought to undo the liberal and republican ideals of the French Revolution. The Restauration also saw the rise of industrialization and the growth of a middle class in France.
- Ormolu - Ormolu was popular with French craftsmen in the 18th and 19th century for ornamental fittings for furniture, clocks and other decorative items. True ormolu is gilt bronze, that is bronze that has been coated with gold using a mercury amalgam. Due to the health risks associated with using mercury, this method of creating ormolu was discontinued in France in the 1830s. A substitute was developed consisting of about 75% copper and 25% zinc, however it was inferior to the bronze version. It was often lacquered to prevent it tarnishing.
- Bas Relief - Bas relief, or low relief, is a carved surface in which the figures project from the background, but only to a limited extent. When a relief is cut in from a flat surface of stone or wood, the background or field is lowered, leaving the unsculpted parts seemingly raised. There are other degrees of relief carving, including high relief and mid relief.
- Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
- Engine Turned - Engine turning is a decorative technique used on metal surfaces to create intricate curving or geometric pattern. The process involves cutting a series of lines into the surface of the metal using a rose engine or decoration lathe which rotates the metal as it cuts, allowing the operator to create a repeating pattern that covers the entire surface. The resulting surface has a shimmering, reflective quality that is often described as "engine turned." Where an engine turned item has been enamelled, the term used to describe the decoration is usually guilloche.
Engine turning was originally developed to decorate metal objects such as firearms, scientific instruments, and other metal objects that required precise and elegant design.
This item has been included into following indexes:
Visually similar items
An impressive 19th century French, Charles X ormolu sculptural mantel clock, the gilded circular dial with black enamelled Roman numerals housed within an arched top case surmounted by a female figure with harp, an angel standing beside with an open musica
A French marble and ormolu Empire style figural clock, circa 1850-1860, a fine eight day clock with silk suspension having an enamel dial with Roman numerals set within a 'Ruined' antique plinth surmounted by a Roman figure of literature, raised upon a bla
A late 19th century French ormolu and marble nymph-figured mantel clock, the gilded bronze winged nymph leaning upon the tall arched mottled marble case housing the dial, conforming marble plinth base, classical ormolu mounts, the quality French silk suspe
A 19th century French gilt metal sculptural mantel clock, modelled with an Elizabethan figure, the circular dial with Roman numerals, the pendulum movement striking on a bell. With key. Scroll missing from hand. Height 33 cm