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Unusual French Bronze Figural Carriage Clock by Brunelot, circa 1880 — view 1 of 4
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Clocks · Clock

Unusual French Bronze Figural Carriage Clock by Brunelot, circa 1880

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Unrecorded in source
Date
c. 1880
Historical period
Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)
Country of origin
France
Object type
Clock
Auction house
LiveAuctioneers auction archive
Lot
Item 202330501
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 299, APRIL 2025 TIMEPIECES, SILVER & ANTIQUES, Luxe Auctioneers, Inc (2025), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
UNUSUAL FRENCH BRONZE FIGURAL CARRIAGE CLOCK BY BRUNELOT, CIRCA 1880 (English)

View the source record (auction lot) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 202330501), 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. The record is illustrated with 4 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

Lot description — Luxe Auctioneers, Inc

Unusual and fine French Figural Form Carriage Clock in the style of a cottage by Jules Brunelot. The ormolu, silvered and patinated bronze clock is ornately detailed to resemble a cottage with shingled roof and windows with protective grill work. The ruby glass panels are beveled to clear edges. The clock has a gilt metal dial with black painted Roman numerals. The time and strike movement has the B encircled mark of the fine clockmaker Jules Brunelot. The clock stands approx. 11 inches tall to the top of the handle. Dial: gilt metal with black painted Roman numerals Movement: time and strike with Jules Brunelot maker’s mark Case: figural bronze in the form of a cottage Size: 11 inches x 4-3/4 inches x 4-1/8 inches Signed: movement Box: no Papers: no Accessories: Associated key

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

Carriage and travel clocks

The carriage clock is a portable spring clock with a balance-wheel escapement and a brass case with glass panels and a carrying handle. Abraham-Louis Breguet made early examples around 1800, and from the 1830s Paul Garnier and other French makers industrialised production, with the small towns of Saint-Nicolas-d'Aliermont and the Franche-Comté supplying movements for retailers worldwide.

Typical features include a platform escapement mounted horizontally on top of the movement (usually a lever, sometimes cylinder or Garnier's chaff-cutter), striking or repeating work, and alarms. English carriage clocks, generally larger and with fusees, were made by firms such as Frodsham and Dent. Travel clocks in folding leather cases became popular in the twentieth century.

What to look for

  • A platform escapement visible through the top glass.
  • Case styles: corniche, gorge, anglaise, obis or engraved cases.
  • Repeat buttons on top and strike/silent levers.
  • Stamps of movement makers (e.g. Drocourt, Jacot, Margaine, Richard & Co.) on the backplate.

Dating clues

  • Early carriage clocks with Breguet or Garnier features: c. 1800–1850.
  • Mass-produced French carriage clocks: c. 1850–1914.
  • Folding travel clocks and alarm travel clocks: mostly 1920–1970.

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:Detached lever escapement

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