Neoclassical style malachite three-piece clock set by Denière

This elegant three-piece clock set, crafted in the Neoclassical style from ormolu and malachite, is by the important producer Denière et fils. The firm, which was founded in 1804, reached its zenith under Emperor Napoleon III, who awarded the company the prestigious honour of ‘Fornisseurs de Roi’, or King’s Suppliers. Napoleon III commissioned the firm to produce various bronze objects of art, including two pairs of candelabra in 1855 for the Palais Royal. The present clock set is a fine example of the high quality of the firm’s production. While the present clock set dates to the later 19^th century, the malachite veneer is a later, beneficial addition.

The set is comprised of a mantel clock and a pair of flanking en suite candelabra. The mantel clock features a stepped malachite base, with the lower, broader tier finished to the front with a pierced ormolu frieze of a ribbon intertwined with a laurel spray, and the upper, shallower tier mounted with an ormolu tied drape. The base supports the ornate ormolu clock case, which is set with a large circular enamel dial painted with delicate floral garlands. Below the dial, the case resembles the capital of an Ionic column, with the top of the fluted shaft just visible, and the large volutes adorned with ormolu garlands. The top of the case is mounted with ormolu fruit and a large ribbon-tied laurel crown.

The en suite candelabra are similarly decorated, each featuring a malachite vase-form body raised by an ormolu socle above a square malachite base. Each candelabrum issues seven scrolling, foliate branches.

The dial is signed 'Denière / Ft De Bronzes / A Paris'.

Clock: Height 60cm, width 36cm, depth 19cm
Candelabra: Height 60cm, diameter 30cm