Lot 49

AN EMPIRE TABLE CLOCK

This unique Empire clock presents the Greek myth of Jason, one of the most well-known protagonists of Greek mythology, just as he is conquering a dragon and taking the golden fleece. The monumental and very precisely executed gilt bronze rests on a birdseye ash base with two Dorian columns and an emperor's portrait with imperial branches. The clockwork is connected with an ingenious pipe music box. Silver-plated number dial with Roman numerals, chime on the half hour, steel hands. Signed on number dial ÉCHAPT EN PIERRE.

The bronze work corresponds to the products made in the luxurious Parisian gilt bronze workshop of Pierre-Philippe Thomire and Pierre-François Feuchère, who in the late 18th/early 19th century were suppliers to Ludwig XVI, Napoleon Bonaparte and family, and other European royal families. The clockwork and music box were likely commissioned especially for the bronze statue. Restored.