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French Clocks
In the realm of antique European clocks, French clocks came into prominence during the eighteenth century under the reign of King Louis the Fourteenth. In the early years of the 1700’s French clocks featured fancy ornamentation of gilded bronze generally known as ormolu placed on a tortoiseshell background. Like their English counterparts, French clockmakers manufactured a variety of clocks from about 1710 to 1760 but with greater ornamentation of the clock case. The most common French clock of the eighteenth century is the table clock which became the equivalent of a mantel after about 1780 when mantels were added to fireplaces. These fancy clocks of the period typically feature cast statues of classical human figures or animals and may be adorned with colorful enameled three-dimensional flowers around the case. These clocks have a circular dial made from enamel while the clock mechanism is housed in a drum-shaped canister.
In 1796 the first carriage clock, a clock suitable for traveling with, was made by French clockmaker A-L Breguet. Carriage clocks advanced in sophistication and the fanciest models featured calendar and alarm dials along with indicating the time. |
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