French Inlaid Portico Clock with Ormolu Mounts
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
This item has been included into following indexes:
Visually similar items
Portico Clock: French 19th century, ornate ebonized case with gilt metal adornments. 48 cm
A French four pillar marquetry portico clock, circa 1880, the ebonized wooden pediment and base finely inlaid with string and floral wood, separated by four barley twist pillars. The white enamel dial painted with Roman numerals and encased in a floral gil
Antique French portico clock with brass mounts, no key, has pendulum, approx 51.5 cm high
French portico clock, no key, has pendulum, 51 cm high