Large ormolu and griotte marble matched three-piece clock set

This fine clock set is comprised of a central mantel clock by Lemerle Charpentier, and a matched pair of candelabra. The three pieces are crafted from griotte marble and ormolu in the Neoclassical style that dominated much of French design during the last decades of the nineteenth century.

The mantel clock features a stepped griotte marble plinth with curved ends. The plinth is raised on four ormolu toupie feet and two scrolling acanthus leaf brackets. The surface of the plinth is adorned with two encompassing ormolu friezes, one moulded as ribbon-tied reeds and the other moulded with an egg and dart motif. The plinth is centred with a classical mask set within an ornate foliate frame.

The plinth supports the off-centre clock case, which is modelled from ormolu as a podium. The entablature of the podium is set with a griotte marble dial behind domed glass, while the column of the podium is adorned with scrolled brackets, draped garlands, and three classicising medallions. Against the podium leans an ormolu figure of a woman reading: she stands in contrapposto, wearing a light dress, the folds of which are reminiscent of Greek wet drapery. She holds a book in her hands, her head gently bowed towards its open pages.

The matched pair of candelabra is similarly formed and decorated. Each candelabrum features a griotte marble base with scrolled sides, which is set above a moulded ormolu foot. The base of each candelabrum supports a vase-form body, which is mounted with classicising ormolu elements. Each candelabrum issues six scrolled foliate moulded ormolu light branches.

The griotte dial is signed ‘Lemerle Charpentier / Bronzier / Paris / Rue Charlot 8’, and the movement is marked for the same maker.

Clock: Height 70cm, width 57cm, depth 23cm
Candelabra: Height 70cm, width 31cm, depth 24cm