Louis XVI style clock. France, c. 1890

Louis XVI style clock. France, c. 1890
Gilt bronze and marble. Hand-painted porcelain dial, enameled.
With Brocot suspension.
Signed on the dial: "Eugene Baguès"; signed on the movement: "Samuel Marti".
Preserves pendulum and key.
Presents restoration on the base; one of the rods is missing.
Measurements: 59 x 29 x 15 cm.

Desk clock made of gilded bronze characterized by the original lyre shape of the case. The Louis XVI style, in France, replaced the Transitional Style and was known in its time as "Style à la grecque" for taking its decorative elements and the lines of the works from examples based on ancient classical art, taken from both Greek and Roman art. One of the most important within the Neoclassical, it is located, approximately, between 1760 and 1789, more or less coinciding with the reign of Louis XVI (Versailles, 1754 - Paris, 1793; king of France between 1789 and 1792).

Nineteenth-century bronze table clocks were key pieces in decoration and interior design, as well as symbols of social status and refinement. Elaborately crafted and often adorned with artistic motifs, these clocks not only served to measure time, but also reflected the technical advances and taste for fine craftsmanship of the time. Bronze, a durable and aesthetically appreciated material, allowed the creation of complex and elegant forms, integrating styles such as neoclassical or rococo, which made them highly valued objects in the residences of high society.