Desk clock; France, Napoleon III era, c. 1850.

Desk clock; France, Napoleon III period, c. 1850.
Gilt bronze, marquetry part and counterpart in brass, ebonized pear wood.
It has Paris machinery and silk thread suspension.
Preserves key and pendulum.
It presents slight faults and the back zone presents later interventions in the opening mechanism.
Signed Japy Fréres (machinery).
Measurements: 40 x 26 x 12,5 cm.
The firm Japy Frères, one of the most prestigious in Europe in the late nineteenth century, founded in the middle of the century by Frédéric Guillaume, Louis Frédéric and Jean Pierre, sons of the renowned watchmaker Frédéric Japy, who long before had laid the foundations of modern watchmaking.
Its structure combines gilded bronze with rocaille applications and legs with ornate scrolls, while the enameled dial with Roman numerals and finely worked hands denote a high quality manufacture, possibly of French origin.