Clock — Aurora, Paris, 1860s

Clock in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number 764-1869), made in Paris, dated 1860s, attributed to Albert Carrier-Belleuse. The museum's brief description reads: Clock, with Aurora and children, designed by Carrier-Belleuse, before 1867.

Museum description: Clock, comprising female figure representing Aurora, seated on a clock with two putti, one held by her on her right shoulder, the other clinging to her drapery, above a clock mounted in black marble. To her left two additional standing putti support a globe with a clock dial hidden from view. Aurora's heavy eyelids indicate that she is waking from sleep to raise the dawn by leading the sun god Helios into the heavens.

Dial: 12.4 cm diameter with recessed centre. The black-enamel chapter-ring 1.6 cm broad with an outer minute ring, with gilt strokes, every fifth stroke is bolder. The inner set has narrow Roman numerals for the hours. The recess 8.9 cm diameter, its rear plate of gilt brass engraved with leafy sprays and scrolls and signed in a rectangular horizontal cartouche with the legend 'EXPOSITION UNIVERSELLE BOY FT A PARIS' with the date '1867' below the cartouche.

The winding holes are surrounded by raised gilt-brass rings, inside numerals IIII and VIII. The gilt hands are of… The museum records it as Made of "imitation bronze", with a black-enamel chapeter-ring. An applied pierced and engraved silver piece surrounds the centre dial. The movement is made of brass., measuring height 30 in. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.