Chinoiserie style ormolu and faience three-piece clock set

This wonderful clock set is comprised of a central mantel clock and a pair of candelabra, the trio crafted from faience and ormolu and decorated in the distinctive Chinoiserie style.

The mantel clock features a faience vase-form case, the ivory coloured surface of which is painted with flowers, sprays, birds, and other motifs drawn from the canon of traditional Chinese art, all executed in subdued, pastel shades. The clock dial, centrally placed, is encompassed by a painted red octagonal border inscribed with gilt Chinese numeral hour marks. The vase is supported by a narrow ormolu socle above a highly ornate ormolu base: the pierced base is raised on scrolled feet and features two large Chinese dragons. The faience case is mounted with twin dragon head masks and surmounted by a Chinese guardian lion finial.

The candelabra are similarly decorated. Each features a vase-form body likewise crafted from faience and decorated with traditional Chinese imagery: one candelabrum features a traditionally dressed male figure, while the other is adorned with a female figure in Chinese garb. Each candelabrum is raised on a conforming pierced ormolu base, and each supports the springing of five scrolled ormolu branches and one central finial candle holder.

The faience is attributed to Creil et Montereau, a celebrated manufacturer of faience works that produced pieces such as the present set during the 1870s and 1880s. The set may have been retailed by L'Escalier de Cristal, a luxury retailer that sold pieces such as this during the period in question and, by doing so, contributed significantly to the popularity of the Chinoiserie style.

Clock: Height 52cm, width 43cm, depth 18cm
Candelabra: Height 53cm, width 26cm, depth 18cm