French Black Slate Mantle Clock with Enamel Dial, 19th Century

A French black slate mantle clock, 19th century, the rounded…
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A French black slate mantle clock, 19th century, the rounded case housing a white enamel dial with Roman numerals above a tapered and scrolled base with volutes upon an extended rectangular base with gilt incised foliate decoration, the brass striking movement marked C.V 874, with key and pendulum. Height 33 cm, width 55.5 cm, depth 15.5 cm

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  • Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
  • Foliate - Decorated with leaves or leaf-like forms.
  • Incised - A record of a name, date or inscription, or a decoration scratched into a surface, usually of a glass or ceramic item with a blunt instrument to make a coarse indentation. Compare with engraving where the surface is cut with a sharp instrument such as a metal needle or rotating tool to achieve a fine indentation.
  • Pendulum - The pendulum was discovered around 1602 by Galileo Galilei, and was adopted for time keeping by the Dutch mathematician and natural philosopher, Christiaan Huygens, who excelled in astronomy, physics, and horology.

    The pendulum comprises a metal rod usually of brass or steel with a metal disk, known as a bob, at the end. The movement of the pendulum is driven by weights or a spring, and as a pendulum swings in a regular arc, it was found accuracy could be controlled to within a few seconds a week.

    Timekeeping can be adjusted by changing the height of the bob on the rod, making the pendulum either swing slower or faster.

    The disadvantage of the pendulum was that changes in temperature also changed the length of the pendulum, interfering with the accuracy of the clock, and so in the 18th century two types of mercurial pendulums were invented which countered the movement in the steel rod.

    The pendulum was the world's most accurate timekeeping technology until the invention of the quartz clock, regulated by a quartz crystal, in 1927.

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