French Ormolu Putti Mantel Clock
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.
- 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.
- 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. - Putto / Putti / Amorino / Amorini - A putto (plural: putti) or amerino (plural: amerini) is a cherub or cupid frequently appearing in both mythological and religious paintings and sculpture, especially of the Renaissance and Baroque periods and later used as a decorative element in the design of furniture, ceramics, statuary etc. They are usually depicted as chubby males, or of indeterminate gender, often with wings. Their depiction may represent an association with love, heaven, peace or prosperity.
This item has been included into following indexes:
- clocks, mantle & shelf, material or style - gilt metal / ormolu 547
- clocks, mantle & shelf, period or origin
Visually similar items
Late 19th century French gilt mantel clock with Sevres porcelain dial surmounted with cupids
A tortoiseshell and gilt bronze boulle clock, French, 19th century case without finial, 59 cm high
An ormolu mantle clock in the Louis XVI style, 19th century, with mark of Rodier of Paris with 1827 gold medal stamp, with an enamel dial with Roman numerals set within a decorative bezel surmounted by a cast urn with vegetal handles and flanked by scrolli
An ormolu and cloisonne enamel mantle clock, late 19th century, with mark of H. Kreitz to the dial, in the rococo manner, the rectangular bracket clock with a brass dial and Roman numerals, a pagoda top and putto in a scallop shell finial, decorated with e