Porcelain clock in the Louis XV style, by Jacob Petit

Porcelain clock in the Louis XV style, by Jacob Petit
French, 19th Century
Clock: Height 31cm, width 16cm, depth 13cm
Base: Height 9cm, width 25cm, depth 18cm
Combined: Height 38cm, width 25cm, depth 18cm
 
This antique porcelain mantel clock demonstrates the 19th Century nostalgia for the delicately elegant decorative arts under King Louis XV, also known as the Rococo style.
 
Crafted by celebrated porcelain artist Jacob Petit, this exquisite clock is particularly notable for the way in which the porcelain has been shaped so as to give the clock such a whimsically free-spirited, scrolling shape. The clock is formed as a clock case upon a lower base, which are both decorated as a though a singular piece with green glaze on a white ground, accented with painted floral panels and extensive gilt highlights all over.
 
The clock case, which is particularly exuberant in design, features a central, circular clock dial. The white enamelled dial is bordered with beaded ormolu, and features black Roman numerals and the inscription 'Scherer'- the name of the 19th century Parisian clock-making firm, responsible for this clock's dial and movement. 
 
The clock base, set upon four tightly scrolled feet, accommodates the case upon a flat platform with a scrolling, leaf form lip.
 
Artist/Maker: Jacob Petit