Louis XVI style table clock; France, late nineteenth century.

Louis XVI style table clock; France, late nineteenth century.

Gilded bronze and enameled porcelain.
It has Brocot suspension.
Preserves pendulum and key.
Signed G. Schmoll à Paris (dial); Samuel Martí (machinery).
Measurements: 59 x 40,5 x 20 cm.
Table clock whose structure is made of gilded bronze. It consists of a base of geometric forms with projections in the corners, of staggered profile. It stands on typically truncated conical feet and is decorated with recesses. On this base there are four pine cones, one in each corner of the base. In the center is centered a rocky structure with two crossed torches that serve as support of the clock face adorned with Arabic numerals and openwork needles. In the upper area, two small love handles hold a handle from which the clock seems to hang.
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.