Offered by Van Brug Collection
Very rare French gilt bronze mantel clock, with a gilt statue of 'Mercury/Hermes' Roman/Greek god of trades and thieves, member of the 'Au bon Sauvage' familie, further identical to 'Au Matelot'.
Directoire, ca 1795.
Movement duration eight days and striking on a bell. The accessories and the scenes in the base represent the naval trade. Fire gilt bronze. Original guilding. HxBxD ca 38x31x11 cm. Pictures before cleaning available. In the short Directoire period several clocks were made with African and exotique elements. The serie was named ‘Au bon sauvage’ and ‘Au Palmier’.
A similar clock is printed on page 343 in the Encyclopédie de La Pendule Francaise, Pierre Kjelberg, and pages 142/143 of Die Französische Bronzeuhr, Elke Niehüser.
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