Antique lyre mantel clock

Dimensions: H x W x D: 48 x 20 x 13 cm

Description:
Outstanding French bronze mantel clock in the shape of a lyre.

Base with leaf and flower frieze standing on round squeeze feet. A finely cast bronze applique is mounted on top of the red marble block. Two people are depicted, obviously the servant on the left who is refilling his master's wine. The men are dressed in light tunics in the style of Roman antiquity, and the jugs and chair are also modelled on those of antiquity.

The lyre with the embedded clockwork rises above it, resting on a frieze of palmettes and supported by acanthus leaves.
The attractive dial shows an openwork sun surrounded by floral, foliate and tendril motifs. Round enamelled cartouches with black numerals on a white background and the dotted minute scale cast into the bronze follow outwards.
The crown of the clock shows the face of Apollo, the god of light and music, finely chiselled and also beautifully crafted on the back. He is flanked by two swans holding a garland of flowers with their beaks.

The 8-day movement, which is visible from the back, has the typical period pendulum with thread suspension. The height of the pendulum can be adjusted using the knurled nut. The rate is regulated by changing the centre of gravity of the pendulum. The clock strikes a bell every half hour.

Interesting facts:
Various versions of this clock are known. The differences between the models are mostly limited to the base, which was available in bronze and different coloured marble. One of the models is in the possession of the Bavarian Palace Administration and comes from Ehrenburg Castle in Coburg. The clock was created around 1815 and is attributed to the bronzier Choiselat-Gallien.
The clock is illustrated in H. Ottomeyer / P. Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen - Die Bronzearbeiten des Spätbarock und Klassizismus, Munich 1986; I, p. 379 (fig. 5.15.21).
Two other models of this clock are known to the public. One is in the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, the other is part of the collections of the Ministère des Finances in Paris.

Choiselat-Gallien was one of the leading Parisian bronze manufacturers at the beginning of the 19th century. It was founded by Louis-Isidore Choiselat, who was probably apprenticed to Jean-Baptiste Matthieu Gallien, whose business he later took over. Choiselat's clients included the Count of Artois, later King Charles X of France, for whose coronation he created the altarpieces.
Choiselat's workshop was located in the Rue de la Verrerie in Paris.

Condition:
The movement has been completely dismantled and cleaned. It runs absolutely reliably and accurately.
The bronze and marble have been gently cleaned. The original fire gilding is in a very desirable state of preservation.