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Red tortoiseshell & brass inlaid French striking Boulle clock — view 1 of 2
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Clocks · Clock

Red tortoiseshell & brass inlaid French striking Boulle clock

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Unrecorded in source
Date
c. 1880
Historical period
Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)
Country of origin
France
Object type
Clock
Materials / technique
brass, tortoiseshell
Dimensions
Height 43 cm
Dealer
The Antique Clock Company (dealer), Dorset
Stock no.
Product 2831
Credit line
Dealer listing, The Antique Clock Company (product 2831)
Catalogue title (original)
FINE RED TORTOISESHELL & BRASS INLAID FRENCH STRIKING BOULLE CLOCK (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by The Antique Clock Company (dealer), Dorset (stock number Product 2831), this is a clock, made in France, dated c. 1880. The Atlas places it in the Industrial Revolution period (1850 – 1900) of its Clocks collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: brass, tortoiseshell. Recorded dimensions: Height 43 cm. The record is illustrated with 2 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — The Antique Clock Company

Decorated with gilt mounts, the red tortoiseshell waisted type case, front and back surmounted by a gilt ormolu finial and draping foliage mounts, the French signed and numbered mid 19th century movement striking the hours and half hours on a gong, the signed 12-piece enamel cartouche dial with Roman numerals and finely cut hands, this clock is in perfect condition, all the brass and tortoiseshell are in excellent order. Height: 17″ or 43cm

Provenance

Private collection – U.K.

Historical context

Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)

American interchangeable-parts manufacture; railroad time standards; Swiss and German factory systems.

Factory production transformed the clock into an everyday object. American makers (Seth Thomas, Ansonia, Waterbury) and German factories (Junghans, Gustav Becker, Lenzkirch) sold millions of shelf, wall and alarm clocks worldwide; France produced standardised Paris movements and carriage clocks; electric time distribution began.

Read the period in the timelineMore clocks from this periodEarlier: Precision & Scientific Horology

Atlas type guide

Mantel and French pendule clocks

The mantel clock — the French pendule de cheminée — is as much decorative art as timekeeper. From the late seventeenth century Parisian clockmakers worked with cabinet-makers, bronze founders and gilders (ciseleurs-doreurs) to create cases in Boulle marquetry, gilt bronze and marble, while the movements were often supplied by specialist makers. Clocks of the Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI periods, and Empire clocks with allegorical figures, set fashions copied across Europe.

The nineteenth century industrialised the type. The 'Paris movement', a standardised round movement with silk-thread or Brocot suspension and count-wheel striking, was made in huge numbers by firms such as Japy and Vincenti, and fitted into cases of every style and material.

What to look for

  • Round 'Paris' movements with makers' stamps (e.g. Japy Frères, Vincenti, S. Marti) and medal marks from exhibitions.
  • Suspension type: silk thread (earlier) or Brocot adjustable suspension (after c. 1840).
  • Visible Brocot escapement on the dial in later clocks.
  • Fire-gilt (mercury) gilding on bronzes versus later electro-gilding.
  • Signed dials naming a retailer rather than the movement maker.

Dating clues

  • Silk-suspension Paris movements: c. 1800–1850.
  • Brocot suspension and visible escapements: after c. 1840.
  • Exhibition medal stamps on movements give dates after the medal year.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Read next:Anchor (recoil) escapement

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