Ad mougin clockmaker3/30/2023 ![]() ![]() Some well known 19th century makers are Japy-Freres, Vincent & Cie, Honoré Pons. Some were also sold together with a pair of decorative objects, a pair candelabrum for example, and are known as a garniture set. Many of these clocks will also feature a glass dome over them to protect their gilded cases and open movements from dust. Most of this marble was quarried in Belgium near coal mines, which gave it its distinct colour. Again found in great variety but the one most encountered is the black marble clock. While bronze and fire-gilt were often used so were cheap alloys like spelter. Value for these clocks is thus determined by the quality of their cases. Clocks with either very cheap or very expensive cases often have identical movements in the second half of the 19th century. It is particularly with these clocks that a huge varied array of case styles, quality and materials are encountered. Dials are varied but like many other French clocks the white circular enamel dial is the most often encountered example. ![]() ![]() They almost always strike both the hours and half-hours on a bell, though some later ones also used a gong. The ubiquitous pendule de Paris was used as a standard in the second half of the 19th century and was normally of eight day duration. The movements are good quality with earlier examples having silk suspension and outside count wheels for the striking. Be it an ornate gilt bronze figural example or an imposing piece made of marble. When one thinks of French clocks then the image mostly likely to be conjured up is of the mantle clock. Leading makers were Pierre Drocourt, Abraham-Louis Breguet, Henri Jacot and François Margaine. All carriage clocks have serial number, which are useful for dating if records still exist. They normally have four bevelled glass sides, though some can be found with porcelain panels. Dials are most commonly white enamel with either Roman or Arabic numerals, often with a signature. ![]() Common case names are Corniche, Gorge and Obis. The decoration of cases vary widely in design but certain standards prevail such as being made from brass, or gilded brass, and having a carry handle. Sometimes they even be combined with a barometer. Additional features include calendar and seconds subsidiary dials, alarms and more complex escape mechanisms. Striking can be either on a bell or gong. They vary from simple timepieces to more complicated movements, with grande sonnerie striking for example. They are normally of 8 day duration, though some can be longer. Their movements are spring driven with rectangular brass plates with lever escapements. By the middle of the century they were being produced in significant numbers with separate craftsman making the movements (in Franche-Comté and Normandy) and the case, with the clock itself assembled in Paris. The earliest examples of what can be considered a true carriage clock were produced in Paris in the early 19th century by Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823). It evolved from earlier travelling clocks but most directly from the pendule d’officier, a clock used by officers on their military campaigns. The carriage clock can be found just about everywhere. One of the most extensively produced and collected of all antique clocks. These novelty clocks were normally made for the high-end of the market so tend to be of good quality. Often the actual clock dial is quite small in relation to the whole item as the automaton is the main feature. Rather they have elaborate musical trains featuring moving items such as animals, people or ships. The spring driven movements are normally of eight day duration, that while having complicated movements most don’t strike the hours. While earlier French examples certainly exist most encountered on the market today are from the late 19th century. The following list is the type of French clocks most commonly found and that were produced in the 18th & 19th centuries: Automaton Clocks This explains why so many French clocks are encountered in the English speaking world. The Cobden-Chevalier Treaty of 1860 between Great Britain and France saw clocks, among other items, be exported in great quantity free of tariffs. For ease this article will only concentrate on French clocks from the 18th and 19th centuries.įrench clocks, particularly the often encountered mantle clock, were sold in huge quantities from around the middle of the 19th century up until 1914, the outbreak of Word War I. However, all unmistakeable in their French flair, mechanics and design.Īs with all countries who produced clocks the subject is vast and the history long and convoluted. They can be found almost everywhere, and in a huge array of styles and materials. If your interests extend to clock collecting there is no doubt that you are going to come across countless examples of French clocks. ![]()
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