A NAPOLEON III SILVERED AND GILT-BRONZE AND BLEU TURQUIN MARBLE THREE-PIECE CLOCK GARNITURE

The clock to the present garniture is surmounted by an elegant figure by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, who created a monumental version for a column-form clock shown at the 1867 Paris Exposition Universelle by the Société des Marbre-Onyx d’Algérie with movement by Eugène Farcot, the same makers of the present lot. In both timepieces, the exquisitely detailed central figure suspends a conical pendulum which rotates in a circular manner around a point at her feet in addition to the traditional movement which operates the clock dial. While the base of the present clock is different in form from that shown at the Exhibition, its reproduction in a smaller scale here by the same makers attests to the strong interest of 19th century collectors in acquiring versions of the most celebrated models of their day. This garniture is, thus, a fine manifestation of the exceptional Exhibition model and also evokes the sophisticated and grand ambitions of the age.