French Automaton Mantel Clock with Amusing Mechanism

An amusing French automaton mantel clock, white marble and gilt…
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An amusing French automaton mantel clock, white marble and gilt bronze case inscribed 'Honi Soit Qi Mal Y Pense' with a figure of a young woman and removable basket of flowers revealing her obeying a call of nature (automaton mechanism can be seen behind her), late 19th century. movement no.2650. 35 cm high. Provenance: The Joseph M. Meraux collection of rare and unusual clocks, Sotheby's, New York, June 28th, 1993, lot 334

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  • Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
  • Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.

    The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.

    It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture.

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