French Empire Bronze Mantel Clock with Greek Deity Bust
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A French Empire bronze and ormolu mantel clock, surmounted by a bust of bearded Greek deity on a stepped plinth, the silvered dial with engraved sunburst centre, Roman numerals and signed Navrancourt, within a snake bezel, above a tazza, on block feet, the silk suspension movement striking on a bell. Height 46.5 cm. Provenance: William Bradshaw Antiques, Queen Street Woollahra, from the contents of Swanton (built 1827), Sutton Forrest, NSW
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- Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
- Ormolu - Ormolu was popular with French craftsmen in the 18th and 19th century for ornamental fittings for furniture, clocks and other decorative items. True ormolu is gilt bronze, that is bronze that has been coated with gold using a mercury amalgam. Due to the health risks associated with using mercury, this method of creating ormolu was discontinued in France in the 1830s. A substitute was developed consisting of about 75% copper and 25% zinc, however it was inferior to the bronze version. It was often lacquered to prevent it tarnishing.
- Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.
The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.
It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture. - Bezel - On a clock or watch, the bezel is the metal frame into which the watch or clock glass is fitted. In clocks, the bezel may include a hinge and a flange, in effect a door to the face of the clock. In jewellery the bezel is a band of metal with a projecting lip that holds the gemstone in its setting.
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