Table clock. French Directory, ca.1795.

Table clock. French Directory, ca.1795.
In mercury gilt bronze, patinated bronze and green marble antico.
With pendulum.
Without key.
Silk thread suspension.
Measurements: 40 x 34 x 16 cm.

Table clock from the period of the French Directory. The piece stands on a finely polished attic green marble base, resting on four legs in the form of poultry claws cast in mercury gilded bronze, a technique characteristic of the neoclassical refinement of the late eighteenth century. On this base there is a sculptural group of Hellenistic inspiration, composed of two figures in mercury gilded bronze: Eros with a finger raised to his lips in a gesture of silence, and a female deity dressed in an exquisitely draped tunic, which seems to point to an invisible destiny. The whole suggests an allegorical scene, probably linked to love, discretion or destiny. The dial of the clock has Roman numerals and a golden border. It is embedded in a patinated bronze case, decorated with reliefs of butterflies (symbol of the soul in classical iconography), which reinforces the allegorical tone of the piece. Finishing the set, an ornamented cup in gilded bronze crowns the structure, containing a delicate plant bouquet that provides compositional balance.