Louis XVI style ormolu and lapis lazuli figural clock set
£45,000
This wonderful three-piece lapis lazuli and ormolu clock set features an exceptional sculptural group of The Three Graces in a remarkable piece of design.
This Louis XVI, or Neoclassical, style three-piece lapis lazuli and ormolu (gilt bronze) clock set is comprised of a central mantel clock and a pair of flanking candelabra. The set was produced in the early 20th Century, while the lapis lazuli finish is a later beneficial addition.
The mantel clock stands on a lapis lazuli triform base mounted with openwork ormolu rosettes and rinceaux motifs, the base standing on three ormolu toupie feet. Sculptural ormolu figures of the Three Graces—the classical personification of youthful beauty, merriment, and elegance—stand on the base and together, all six arms stretched overhead, hold aloft a spherical clock drum. The drum is crafted from blue tole and decorated with floral ormolu mounts, an ormolu cupid-form finial, and a dial numbered with ormolu Roman numerals.
The pair of flanking candelabra is similarly decorated, each standing on a conforming base and issuing nine lights in three tiers, each light supported by a scrolled, foliate ormolu branch.