Large Neoclassical style ormolu mounted malachite longcase clock
£150,000
This magnificent Louis XVI style clock, finished in a wonderful malachite veneer, is after one of the most famous clocks produced during the eighteenth century.
The clock features a square profile malachite clock case banded in ormolu, which is centred with a circular white enamel dial encompassed within an ormolu bezel moulded with the signs of the zodiac. The top of the case is surmounted by an impressive sculpture in ormolu of Apollo in his horse-drawn chariot amidst swirling masses of clouds. Apollo, as the being who carries the sun in its course across the sky and thus regulates the hours of the day, is a fitting addition to the clock.
The central section of the case features a window revealing the pendulum, which is centred at the top with an ormolu laurel wreath. The bottom of the clock is inset with panels of differently coloured malachite encompassed in ormolu frames and is adorned with ormolu rosettes.
The dial is signed for the retailer Rosel of Bruxelles, while the movement is stamped for Etienne Maxant.