Early 19th Century Empire Ormolu Mantel Clock, La Lecture, Paris, c. 1813

Mantel Clock "Atala and Chactas" Paris Bronze (fire-gilt and patinated), enamel Empire around 1810 Dimensions: H x W x D: 40 x 32 x 11 cm Description: Very rare and extremely high quality French mantel clock, so-called Pendule Au Bon Sauvage. Depicted are scenes from the love story "Atala or the love of two savages in the desert" written by Francois René Vicomte de Chateaubriand in 1801. At the beginning of the 19th century, this was probably the most famous love story in Europe, but today it has been forgotten. The story, set in present-day Louisiana (USA), is roughly rewritten about the forbidden love between Chactas, a young Indian, and Atala, the beautiful daughter of a Spaniard. Chactas is captured in a battle between two Indian tribes, chained to a palm tree and is to be sacrificed. Atala wants to save his life and convert him to Christianity. She unties him from the palm tree at night and they flee together into the wilderness of North America. Their love for each other grows stronger and stronger and they have prospects for a future together. The story takes a tragic turn when Atala, who must remain a virgin due to a vow made by her mother, can no longer withstand the conflict of her feelings and commits suicide. The main group of characters thus shows Chacta's liberation through Atala. Atala is leaning against a pile of logs. The animal fur thrown over the logs and the weapons leaning against the stack on the right give the impression of a night camp. The bronze is of rarely beautiful quality, finely chiselled and makes the scene appear very lively. The contrast of fire-gilded and patinated bronze adds tension to the composition. In the base we see the Entombment as the end of the tragic love story. This bronze work is also very detailed, the interplay of bright and matt gilding makes the flat relief appear much deeper than it is. The depiction of the mantel clock presented here shows that the exotic was only known from stories and that the bronzier had his own ideas about the appearance of this distant world. The Indian, for example, has very European facial features and his skin was not black in reality, of course. The palm tree was also certainly not found in the North American wilderness. The heart of the clock is a French pendulum movement, integrated into the wooden pile, with an eight-day power reserve and a lock plate striking a bell on the half and full hour. The pendulum is suspended on a thread, typical of the period. The classically shaped hands, so-called Breguet hands, are also typical of the time. The enamelled dial has black Roman hour numerals, Arabic quarter hours and bears the signature: Le Roy hr. de Madame A PARIS. Interesting facts: The period from 1795 to about 1815 saw the creation of probably the most spectacular group of bronzes: The "Au bon Sauvage" pendulums - depictions of the "Noble Savage". Today's viewers react to these objects with both fascination and irritation. Enthusiastic on the one hand about the obvious quality of the detailed bronzes and the allure of the exotic, on the other hand distanced and cautious because of the possible discrimination that is suspected behind them. The ambivalence of this feeling motivates the search for the conditions of origin of these pendulums. Europeans found their new ideal of the natural man primarily in fictional and realistic travelogues about the Indians of North America...

Antique mantel clock on the theme of astronomy France Bronze Charles X around 1830 Dimensions: H x W x D: 48 x 19 x 10 cm Description: Unusual and beautifully crafted bronze mante...

An Important French Empire Ormolu Mantel Clock “Lettre d’Amour,” Attributed to François-Louis Savart, Paris The clock is formed with a rectangular case rising from a shaped plinth base set on four flattened bun feet. The base displays a continuous frieze cast in relief with two sheep flanking a central urn, framed by scrolling foliage at each end. Above, the main case supports a circular white enamel dial with Roman numerals and two winding apertures, enclosed within a beaded ormolu bezel. Beneath the dial, a rectangular panel is cast with a reclining male figure in a landscape setting, accompanied by trees. To the left, a female figure is seated on a cushion supported by an X form empire stool, her body turned toward the dial. She raises one hand toward her face while a bird rests on her knee, and she holds a circular medallion bearing a profile portrait. To the right, a tripod table stands on three supports formed as winged griffins with lion heads and clawed feet. The table surface holds a writing box with an open lid, a quill, and a candlestick. The surfaces throughout are finished in gilt, with visible chasing across the figures, drapery, and ornamental borders. The clock is attributed to François Louis Savart, a bronzier active in Paris. Savart produced objects in gilt bronze including clocks, candelabra, and decorative mounts. He maintained a workshop in Paris where he developed figural clock models incorporating classical motifs and narrative subjects. Comparable models associated with Savart include figural compositions with seated female figures, auxiliary furniture elements, and narrative relief panels, reflecting established design types within Parisian bronze production. Savart’s workshop operated within the Paris bronze industry, where cast ormolu objects were produced using sand casting followed by chasing and gilding. The construction of this clock case reflects the use of multiple cast components assembled into a unified structure, including separately cast figures, furniture elements, and applied relief panels. The inclusion of tripod tables, X form seating, and winged supports corresponds to design sources drawn from Greco Roman models that were adapted in Empire period decorative arts. The precise casting, crisp chasing, and consistent gilt surface across the figures, mounts, and relief panels indicate a high level of production quality, with the complexity of the assembled components supporting its desirability among Paris ormolu figural clocks...

Empire ormolu mantel clock, Belgium, circa 1810, Signed "J.B. Romaet a Gand". Decorated with a shepherd scene. Strikes the hour and half hour on a bell. With enamel clock face and si...