Gilt and patinated bronze marble clock set by Denière

This three-piece clock set is comprised of a central mantel clock and a pair of flanking candelabra.

The rectangular marble base of the mantel clock is surmounted by a large and impressive patinated bronze figural group. This group is composed of a pair of drunken Bacchic revellers: a satyr, who holds aloft kylix, or wine cup, while he sensuously grasps a maenad, or human female follower of Bacchus. The pair is laden with garlands of vines, bunches of grapes, and stands atop a tambourine—all distinctive attributes of Bacchic carousal. The bronze is intricately cast and beautifully patinated, the warm and varied tones lending depth and a sense of textural variety to the sculpture. This group is signed ‘Clodion’, indicating that the bronze is after an original marble by Claude Michel, one of the most celebrated French sculptors of the late 18^th and early 19^th Century.

This sculptural group is supported by a rectangular plinth-form grey marble veined base, which is appended throughout with finely-cast ormolu (gilt bronze) mounts. This base, raised on four ormolu tapering quadruple feet, is inset to the front with a large circular white enamel dial, the dial inscribed with Arabic numeral hour marks and distinctly signed ‘Denière / Ft de Bronzes / Paris’. The dial is enclosed by an ormolu beaded rim, and partially encompassed by an ormolu ribbon-tied floral mount. The sides of the marble base are inset with ormolu Vitruvian scroll friezes, and the base is fronted by a large ormolu torch and quiver emblem.

The pair of candelabra is similarly decorated. Each candelabrum is supported by a grey marble base, which is mounted with conforming ormolu elements. The stem of each candelabrum is formed of a patinated bronze maenad, each maenad holding an ormolu pinecone-topped thyrsos—the distinctive staff customarily held by maenads. From this ormolu thyrsos issues five ormolu branches, the branches encrusted with ormolu vine leaves and grape bunches, each branch culminating in a single candle holder.

Multiple ormolu mounts are stamped ‘D’, for Denière.

Clock: Height 60cm, width 36cm, depth 31cm
Candelabra: Height 77cm, width 24cm, depth 24cm