19th century, Clock with Eros and cherubs

19th century
Clock with resting Eros and frieze of cherubs
Gilded bronze, h. 40 cm x width. cm 25

Elegant clock in gilded bronze with a rich decoration organized on several levels. On the front of the base of the machine runs a frieze scene with cherubs or erotes in amused attitudes; the figurines are arranged in mirrored internal and external pairs, and give rhythm to the composition by staging a similar procession in which the fruits of life are honored, metaphorized in the decorated cantaro in the center, filled with fruits and flowers. Above the base is the watch case, finely decorated on the front through a series of oak leaves arranged in a radial pattern, and acanthus leaves on the base. Sitting on the box is instead Eros, otherwise known as Cupid or Love, in the guise of a young ephebe with a dress tight at the waist. The divinity has put away the traditional weapons: bow, arrows and quiver are in fact knotted on the side of the case. A gentle plant grows at the feet of the divinity, to functionally balance the composition by weighing the hips of Cupid and structuring the clock as a courteous altar. The composition can be understood as a positive reflection on the feeling of love, always present in the moments of man's life, cadenced in its apparent eternity solely by the passage of time.