Charles X ormolu mounted malachite mantel clock

This fine mantel clock is a superb example of Charles X period design. The clock, which is crafted from malachite and ormolu—with the malachite being a later veneer—includes a large and impressively wrought sculptural surmount.

The clock features a two-tier stepped malachite base, the upper tier separated from the lower by an encompassing ormolu mount moulded with foliate motifs. The clock drum itself is set into a naturalistically rendered rocky outcrop, the circular ormolu dial inscribed with Roman numeral hour indices. The ormolu rocky outcrop is surmounted by a full-length figure of an adolescent Cupid, who sits with a tablet on his lap.