19th Century French Marine Automatic Time Piece
Rare 19th century French 'Marine' automatic combination time piece enamelled ormolu and onyx rotating lantern top with twin clock dials, thermometer and aneroid barometer driven by a separate movement to the bollard base. Height 20.47 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.
- Ormolu - Ormolu was popular with French craftsmen in the 18th and 19th century for ornamental fittings for furniture, clocks and other decorative items. True ormolu is gilt bronze, that is bronze that has been coated with gold using a mercury amalgam. Due to the health risks associated with using mercury, this method of creating ormolu was discontinued in France in the 1830s. A substitute was developed consisting of about 75% copper and 25% zinc, however it was inferior to the bronze version. It was often lacquered to prevent it tarnishing.
- Onyx - Onyx is a form of agate, used from antiquity and popular again in the 1920s and 30s. European onyx is generally green, but can be many other colours, and can contain bands of black and/or white.
This multicoloured stone is widely used for table tops, lamp bases and in jewellery. Some types of onyx are also used for cameos of which the upper white layer is cut away to reveal the colour beneath.
This item has been included into following indexes:
- barometers, period or origin - French 53
- barometers, type
- clocks, type - with barometer/thermometer 11
