French Empire Marble Mantel Clock with Ormolu Mounts
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- 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.
- Fusee - The fusee movement was used in clocks and pocket watches from the mid 17th century. The fusee is a cone shaped drum within the works that is linked to the barrel of the spring, usually by a length of chain.
As the mainspring loses its tension over time, the cone shaped barrel compensates for this by increasing the tension, by pulling the mainspring tighter, thus ensuring the time remains constant.
Use of the fusee in clocks was superseded by the "going barrel" in the mid 19th century and for pocket watches at the beginning of the 19th century.
The fusee continued to be used in marine chronometers until the 1970s. - Carrara Marble - Carrara marble is a type of white or blue-grey marble quarried in the Carrara region of Tuscany, Italy. It is prized for its beauty, durability and the ease with which it can be worked. The marble has been used for thousands of years for sculptures and architectural details, and was particularly popular during the Renaissance period. Some of the most famous sculptures in the world, such as Michelangelo's David, were carved from Carrara marble. It is also widely used in the construction of buildings, floors, and countertops, both indoors and outdoors. This marble is known for its unique veining which gives it a distinctive look, and it's a popular choice for interior design, especially bathrooms and kitchens.
- Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
- Hour Striking / Half Hour Striking - An hour striking clock chimes on the hour to indicate the time. The striking mechanism consists of a series of gears and hammers that are set in motion by the clock's movement and are designed to strike a bell or gong to mark the passing of time.
An hour striking clock will strike once on the first hour, twice on the second hour, and so on, up to twelve strikes at noon and midnight. In a half hour striking clock, the clock will strike once on the half hour, and the number of strikes on the hour corresponds to the number of hours passed since the previous half hour.
This item has been included into following indexes:
- clocks, mantle & shelf, material or style - gilt metal / ormolu 547
- clocks, mantle & shelf, period or origin
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