Mantel clock. Gilt bronze and limestone. The gilt bronze seated figure to the left of the dial represents Urania with her attribute the globe to the right. Movement engraved "Denis Masson A Paris" made 1746.
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1746
A 'gout grec' mantel clock supported on a fluted column base and surmounted by an oak garland tied with ribbons. To the right a gilt bronze seated figure of Urania, the muse of Astronomy, with her left foot resting on an astronomical diagram, with, on the other side of the dial, her attribute the celestial globe.
The movement is engraved 'Denis Masson a Paris', dating from 1746 and the dial is signed on the reverse 'Elie Barbezat', who worked during the reign of Louis XV. The clock, gilt bronze figure and globe are mounted on a limestone base. The clock movement was made 1746, in the year in which Denis Masson was received as Master Clockmaker in the Paris Guild of Clockmakers.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 2
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Dimensions
- Height 56 cm; Width 58.4 cm; Depth 23.4 cm
- Materials and techniques
- The clock mechanism is of brass with an enamelled dial. The supporting figures are cast and chased in gilded bronze. Both the mechanism and the figures are supported on a limestone base
Technical characteristics
- Place recorded
- Paris
Identification
- Candidate id
- vam-O377098
- Museum object number
- 1006-1882
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked single-object source. Wider type attribution and authenticity have not been independently verified.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type and source attribution against specialist references.