Marble mantle clock, barometer, thermometer and lunar scale

This elegant, unusual mantel clock was designed for the Spanish market. With the frame constructed from white Carrara marble, the timepiece features a circular clock, barometer, and lunar scale, as well as two thermometers. Each of the five elements is ensconced within a gilded frame, which beautifully contrasts with the white marble.

The marble case is neoclassical in design, with a wide base with canted corners, and a slightly protruding top plate capped by a scrolled surmount. The upper row of the piece features a circular clock, the enamel dial with black Roman numerals, and a visible mechanism. The clock dial is flanked on either side by a pair of rectangular thermometers – one in English and the other in Spanish, which indicates that the piece was designed with an international audience in mind.

Below sit two further circular dials: on the left is a lunar calendar, with the months of the year around the outer border abbreviated from the Spanish. The three decentralised displays show the days of the week, the date, and the lunar phase. The central hand also indicates the season as well as the month. Complex timepieces such as these are known as perpetual calendars, supposedly never needing to be adjusted.

To the right is a circular barometer, also engraved in Spanish. Along the bottom edge of the face are a pair of seals which read 'Medaille d'Or Exposition 1849' and 'Exposition Universelle Londres 1851', with both incorporating the maker’s inscription 'E. Bourdon et Richard Brevetes Paris'. Eugene Bourdon (1808-1884) was a clockmaker and engineer, whose invention of the 'Bourdon tube' (used to measure pressure) won him medals at these two exhibitions.

This intriguing timepiece has a whole multitude of functions, making it a superb piece for any horological collector.