Table clock. Louis XVI style, ca. 1795.

Table clock. Louis XVI style, ca. 1795.
"Orpheus enchanting the animals".
In white biscuit.
In working order.
A copy of the same characteristics is present in the Rothschild Foundation collection.
Measurements: 53 x 47 x 21 cm.

Neoclassical style table clock in white biscuit. It is a sculptural clock, and the theme represented comes from Greek mythology: Orpheus as an enchanter of animals when he plays his lyre. We see the god of music (with his lyre made of gilded bronze), wrapped in a draped tunic, with a body of harmonious proportions and an idealized face, touched by a floral garland. He is seated on the clock case, and is being listened to by different animals: a dog, a goat and a sheep. The clock face, housed in the center of the sculptural group, has Arabic numerals. The whole sits on a molded base with festoons and bells in gilded bronze. Rockery motifs, scrolls and scallops in gilded bronze decorate the skirt of the pedestal.