Rare Empire Clock “The Voyage Of Love And Time”

Exceptional Empire clock “The Voyage of Love and Time” in mat and shiny gilded bronze. After a model by Claude Galle inspired by the drawing by sculptor Louis Simon Boizot. It shows us a spectacular allegory of Time “Chronos” with scythe and hourglass carried by Love “Eros”, equipped with bow and quiver. Chronos is sitting in a boat, which is steered by Eros, and has his head lowered in a contemplative manner. The composition was inspired by a popular song by Joseph-Alexandre de Segur (1757-1805) where Eros is singing: “See young shepherds and shepherdesses – how love lets time fly”.

This Empire Clock “The Voyage of Love and Time” depicts a ship with two swans. The ship is boarded by a seating Chronos holding his scythe and hourglass, and a young winged Eros, rowing the boat with a large oar. It rests on an angle-cut base with falling water symbolising the Sea. Further it has decorations of a trident, oar and reeds tied together with a knot and two seashells on the sides. The case rests on four lion paw feet. The crocodile heads on either side of the boat’s hull are particularly remarkable by their quality of execution, and so are the little seawater waves spreading across the base.

The theme of Love, triumphant over Time, was a recurring theme in the decorative world of clock making.


Details Of This Empire Clock
The eight-days going movement has a wire suspension pendulum. It has a twin-barrel movement with count wheel strike on a bell. It strikes the hour and half hour on it’s bell. The clock is in a excellent and perfect working condition. Also, it has recently been cleaned and serviced by a professional clock maker. The clock comes complete with its pendulum, key and bell.


France, Empire period circa 1810.


Literature
Encyclopédie de la pendule française, Pierre Kjellberg, p.408 #A
French Bronze Clocks, Elke Niehüser, p.43, p.215 #399
National Trust Collections, NT 1542424
Pendules du Mobilier National 1800-1870, Marie-France Dupuy-Baylet, p.49-50