Ormolu and cloisonné enamel mounted green onyx pedestal clock

This longcase clock is crafted from beautiful green onyx, red marble, ormolu, and champlevé enamel. The clock is a wonderful example of eclecticism in late 19^th Century French decorative art, drawing upon the Renaissance and the Neoclassical, as well as the traditions of Islamic art.

The clock stands on a square red marble base, the upper edge of which is mounted with a guilloché ormolu band. The base is topped a tall green onyx block and two frontal free-standing columns, with an ormolu Apollo mask sun-burst pendulum hanging between them. The columns and pendulum are encased within a glazed case. The two columns feature ormolu bases, vibrantly colourful champlevé enamel finished shafts with ormolu gadrooned bands around their centres, and ormolu acanthus leaf capitals with Islamic style muqarnas tops. The shafts are decorated with polychrome enamels arranged in Islamic-inspired geometric designs.

Topping the onyx block and columns is a cuboid green onyx case. This is mounted to its front with a circular clock dial featuring a central floral champlevé enamel design, encircled by black Arabic numeral hour indices. The dial is set within an ormolu egg-and-dart and champlevé enamel bezel. The corners of the onyx case are lined with beaded ormolu bands and the sides are set with circular ormolu and champlevé enamel floral mounts. The clock case is surmounted by a slim projecting red marble top with a flat plateau, which is fringed with champlevé enamel drapery forms and ormolu drop-finials.