Table clock; France, 3/4 of the 19th century

Table clock; France, 3/4 of the 19th century
Gilded bronze; patinated bronze; white marble
Signed on the dial: "Raingo Frères"
Needs servicing
Measurements: 34 x 35 x 14 cm.

French table clock, signed on the dial by Raingo Frères, from the Napoleon III period, circa the third quarter of the 19th century. Crafted in white marble, gilded bronze, and patinated bronze, in the Louis XVI style. The case houses an enameled dial with Roman numerals, framed by a lavish bronze border featuring floral motifs, scrollwork, and a bow with a small bouquet at the top. On either side stand two patinated bronze figures of children, holding between them a long gilded bronze floral garland that cascades in a festoon across the front of the base. The base, made of white marble, is decorated with gilded bronze moldings in an oval pattern and a border of bows at the corners, resting on small gilded feet. The Paris-style movement features a Brocot suspension.

Raingo Frères was a Parisian clockmaking and bronze-casting firm active throughout much of the 19th century, whose origins date back to the Belgian clockmaker Zacharie Joseph Raingo (1775–1847), who specialized in astronomical timepieces and was appointed watchmaker-engineer to the future Louis-Philippe in 1823. Founded by his four sons around 1823 and based in Paris, the firm achieved great renown for its ceremonial bronze works, working from 1860 onward for Napoleon III himself and Empress Eugénie de Montijo, and collaborating with sculptors of the stature of Pradier, Carrier-Belleuse, and Auguste Moreau. The firm received awards at several World’s Fairs, including the gold medal in 1889, and its works are preserved in institutions such as the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris, the Musées Royaux in Brussels, the Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan, and the Royal Palace in Madrid, making it one of the most prestigious firms in the fields of watchmaking and decorative bronze during the Second French Empire.