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Large Neoclassical style gilt bronze mantel clock by Piolaine

Creator: Michel-François Piolaine
Offered by: Mayfair Gallery

Description
Large Neoclassical style gilt bronze mantel clock by Piolaine
French, Early 19th Century
Height 82cm, width 47cm, depth 35cm

This magnificent mantel clock—which measures an impressive 82cm in height—was crafted in France, in the period when Napoleon I was Emperor (1804-1814, 1815). The clock was crafted by Michel-François Piolaine, an important clockmaker, working in Paris in the early 19th Century. Piolaine created high-quality and beautiful timepieces, many of which now form part of major decorative art displays, such as the British Royal Collection in Windsor Castle.

The clock is architectural in its shape, featuring a domed top supported on columns. The dome is crowned by a ball-shaped pinecone finial, and it is decorated with rosettes, laurel branches, and stylised palmettes. Four pinecone finials stand on the corners of a projecting cornice, which is supported by columns with foliate capitals, central bands, and bases. The rectangular clock features, at its centre, a circular glass case, which contains a white enamel dial with black Arabic Numbers and the maker’s name, ‘Piolaine/ A Paris’. The clock body is elaborately decorated with scrolling grape vines, acanthus leaves, palmettes, and a fruit basket. The clock stands on a rectangular base, which is encircled by a leaf-and-dart moulding and set on four block feet.

Artist/Maker: Michel-François Piolaine

More Information

Documentation:	Signed
Origin:	France
Period:	19th Century
Materials:	Enamel, Ormolu.
Creation Date:	Early 19th Century
Styles / Movements:	Traditional, Neoclassical
Dealer Reference #:	15814
Incollect Reference #:	741554

Dimensions

W.	18.5 in;	H.	32.28 in;	D.	13.78 in;
W.	47 cm;	H.	82 cm;	D.	35 cm;

Message from Seller:

Mayfair Gallery is a leading gallery in the field of art and antiques, holding a large collection of unique pieces for sale. The breadth of the gallery’s collection is wide, and includes items from a range of periods, styles and geographical origins, as well as works by famous artists and craftsmen. The main focus of the gallery’s collection is, however, on items produced during the 19th and early 20th century.