Object Description
This fine Neoclassical style mantel clock will make a sumptuous addition to a grand room, or could be given as a unique gift to a loved one. The clock is the work of Ernest Royer, an important French maker active in the second half of the 19th Century, and is built from intricately-cast gilt bronze set with light, delicate Sevres style porcelain panels.
The lower part of the case is square in shape and is surmounted by a circular clock pediment. The gilt bronze case contains some excellent detailing, including goats’ heads, Classical masks, acanthus leaves, and four urns which sit at the top of the four Corinthian pilasters at each corner of the case. Each side of the lower case is set with Sevres style porcelain plaques, painted with courtship scenes and landscapes on a light blue ground.
Above, the upper circular clock case is decorated similarly, with beautiful caryatid figures sitting at either side of the case, and the dial set with a Sevres style porcelain plaque to the centre. It is surmounted by an acanthus leaf and pine cone finial.
To the reverse, the clock movement bears a number of stamps, including for ‘Japy Freres’, and for ‘Manoah Rhodes & Son’. The ormolu urns on the case are stamped ‘ER’ (for Ernest Royer), to their underside.