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CANVASES, CARATS AND CURIOSITIES

Time For Luxury: Mantel Clocks

As beautiful as it is functional, a luxuriously designed clock can provide the perfect focal point for any well-appointed room. Always desirable, mantel clocks can also be the perfect gift for any holiday occasion. Make this special time of year memorable with one of these extraordinary timepieces that exude rarity, taste, and timeless luxury.

 

This incredible Meissen clock is crafted entirely of porcelain and depicts the Four Seasons

 
This incredible Meissen clock is crafted entirely of porcelain and depicts the Four Seasons
 

The babes are nestled within elaborate Rococo decoration bearing items representative of each season

The babes are nestled within elaborate Rococo decoration bearing items representative of each season
 

This ornate Meissen mantel pendulum clock showcases the legendary porcelain manufacturer’s mastery over their craft. The company’s penchant for allegorical themes is on full display in the timepiece’s elaborate depiction of the Four Seasons. Four delicate cherub signifying the Seasons rest around the face of the clock: Winter enveloped in a warm cloak, Spring bearing a floral wreath, Summer holding a goblet of red wine, and Fall holding a sheath of wheat. The colors typical to all Meissen porcelain appear here as a symphony of pastels of blush-pinks, pale blues, soft greens, and tinges of shy yellow. The overall design reflects the Rococo opulence of the day with its flourishing foliates and gilt accents. The piece is marked and dated with the Meissen crossed swords and stands at 22” tall.

 

This stunning mantel clock by J. E. Caldwell & Co. of Philadelphia exudes tasteful elegance

This stunning mantel clock by J. E. Caldwell & Co. of Philadelphia exudes tasteful elegance
 

This marble and doré bronze mantel clock by J.E. Caldwell & Co. gains its inspiration from the French neoclassical era during the reign of Louis XVI, a period that harkened back to the classical orders of ancient Rome and Greece. With this nod to both fashionable French taste and classical sensibilities, the mantel clock displays a stunning culmination of style and refinement. The body of the clock is crafted of luxurious white marble that is adorned by bronze cast doré ornaments of caryatids, scrolling garlands, and flower-bearing urns. The dial, which features an enameled dial embellished with pierced gilt bronze clock hands, is signed JE Caldwell & Co., Philadelphia. The stunning timepiece measures 17 1/2” high.

 

Scottish jewelry firm Muirhead & Son crafted this fine ormolu and porcelain mantel clock

Scottish jewelry firm Muirhead & Son crafted this fine ormolu and porcelain mantel clock
 

This extraordinary perpetual calendar clock was created by the renowned Scottish jewelry firm of James Muirhead & Son. Though first jewelers, the Scottish earned a name as clockmakers for designing magnificently ornate mantel clocks that rival his best jewelry designs in beauty and luxury. As mechanically complex as it is beautiful, this calendar clock boasts two faces that display the time, day, month, and even moon phases. Hand-painted porcelain makes up the body of the clock, while fine ormolu gracefully envelops the surface in naturalistic, swooping foliate designs. The bell-striking movement is signed “James Muirhead and Son Glasgow” and the timepiece measures 17 1/2” high.

 

Crafted in styles that would suit nearly any taste, the mantel clock makes a welcome and luxurious addition to any room. This holiday, give the gift of an elegant and rare mantel clock from M.S. Rau. Browse our selection of incredible antique clocks for sale.

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