French Marble Mantle Clock, 1900
A French black marble mantle clock, circa 1900, the clock case of classical architectural form with grey and brown marble inserts and gilt filled floral engravings, with a gilt and black ringed Roman numeral dial, raised on a stepped base with scrolling decoration, the 8-day brass striking movement unmarked, with pendulum, no key, height 14.96 in., width 12.99 in., depth 5.71 in.
You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.
Register Now to view actual auction price for this item.
- Pendulum - The pendulum was discovered around 1602 by Galileo Galilei, and was adopted for time keeping by the Dutch mathematician and natural philosopher, Christiaan Huygens, who excelled in astronomy, physics, and horology.
The pendulum comprises a metal rod usually of brass or steel with a metal disk, known as a bob, at the end. The movement of the pendulum is driven by weights or a spring, and as a pendulum swings in a regular arc, it was found accuracy could be controlled to within a few seconds a week.
Timekeeping can be adjusted by changing the height of the bob on the rod, making the pendulum either swing slower or faster.
The disadvantage of the pendulum was that changes in temperature also changed the length of the pendulum, interfering with the accuracy of the clock, and so in the 18th century two types of mercurial pendulums were invented which countered the movement in the steel rod.
The pendulum was the world's most accurate timekeeping technology until the invention of the quartz clock, regulated by a quartz crystal, in 1927. - Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
- Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
This item has been included into following indexes:
