Gilt Bronze Mercury Clock - Water Allegory - Empire

Sublime terminal clock in finely chased bronze, gilded with mercury, the allegorical theme chosen is water.
It has kept all its original mercury gilding, entirely cleaned and revised by our specialized clockmaker. It is in perfect working order.
 
Period : Early 19th century - Empire
Dimensions : Height : 48cm x Width : 33cm x Depth : 13cm
The movement is original and unmodified, with hour and half-hour chimes on an antique bell. 

This sumptuous milestone reveals a dial set with a garland of Immortelles with exceptional chasing, symbol of eternity, constancy and endless love, magnifying the black Roman numerals.
A couple of sphinxes pouring water into a basin lifts the veil on the allegory chosen for this exceptional commission from a lover of female beauty.

It is surmounted by a magnificent swan with spread wings carrying a mirror, the swan is a symbol of light, purity and love in many cultures, this aquatic bird is also associated with emotions and spirituality.

As for the mirror, it is the symbol of truth, it highlights, without hiding it, the faults and qualities of the person who is reflected in it. 
It only sends back a faithful image of oneself, what others who look at you will see. It is the symbol of wisdom and knowledge

It rests on a rectangular base decorated with a frieze of medallions with amphorae highlighted by garlands of acanthus leaves and in the central medallion the sweet face of the feminine beauty, or the promised, the beloved woman. It is supported by four small ball feet.
 
On either side we have a magnificent fountain symbolising immortality, purification and regeneration, and on the other, a ravishing vestal dressed in an antique tunic inspired by the Greek chiton, carrying an amphora and a cup, going to the fountain to fetch the precious liquid capable of evoking life as well as death, renewal as well as destruction, sanctification as well as purification.