Napoleon III clock. France, second half of the 19th century.

Napoleon III clock. France, second half of the nineteenth century.
Gilded bronze and marble.
With pendulum and bell.
Presents faults.
Measurements: 45 × 43 × 15 cm.

Table clock of elegant workmanship, typical of the Napoleon III style, made of gilded bronze and white marble. The set is presided over by the figure of an allegorical deity, probably Ceres, Roman goddess of agriculture and crops, represented according to a classical Greco-Roman canon.

The figure, wearing a crown of flowers and a draped tunic, holds a sickle in one hand and is accompanied by a bundle of wheat or corn, symbols of fertility and abundance. She is seated on a barrel, on the front of which is inserted the circular sphere enameled in white, with Roman numerals and gilded bronze molding.

The base combines white marble and finely chiseled gilded bronze elements, decorated with foliage and flower motifs in relief, in harmony with the naturalistic theme of the whole.

This piece is representative of the eclectic and allegorical taste of the French Second Empire, combining the technical virtuosity of gilded bronze with the classically inspired sculptural refinement characteristic of the period.