Hello Julia,
Thank you for sending your family clock to mearto for an appraisal. I will try to help you with determining the fair market value.
TITLE:
Art Nouveau, Dore bronze, double barrel spring, eight-day time and half hour striking, figural mantel clock in the Louis XVIth style, on a velvet covered gilt gesso wooden base, unsigned by the clockmaker, dial is marked for the retailer, ‘E Watson 6 King St Cheapside London’, a jeweler and fancy goods dealer in London during the Victorian era. The clock was made in France, for export to England on Special Order for E. Watson, 6 King street, Cheapside, London, made circa 1880-1890.
DESCRIPTION:
Case: The clock measures 15” x 12” and rests on a base that is 13.5” x 6.5”. The clock is surmounted by a covered hollow brass urn, the cap with a gilt acorn finial (not a pineapple). The thin pedestal of the urn is hidden behind ormolu bowed ribbon which flows around the top of the beaded brass glazed dial bezel. Dore bronze foliate forms, especially curled acanthus leaves flow down and almost form a mythological seagoing vessel with a prow and stern. Sitting inside this ship are two gold cherubs, one holding a Neo-classical jug of wine and the other reaching for it. The mythological ship takes on an architectural form with the forward projecting section covered with roses, foliage and French lance-leaf décor. The base of the case is supported by three Dore bronze toupee feet, the latter resting on the dark blue velvet surface of the lower platform.
The base platform ornamented with gesso and gilding may be wood or a synthetic substance, and takes the form of the lower part of the clock case, descending down to a golden concave molding with two rows of horizontal beading and resting on short gilt feet. The styling is typical or the Art Nouveau movement which stresses the beauty of nature, both flora and fauna and was in vogue from c. 1880-1910, both on the Continent and in the USA. . .
Dial: White enameled dial with Roman hours, open bar minutes ring, Brocot aperture at the twelve for altering the speed of the movement, faster and slower. There are steel Breguet style hands, and the upper dial is marked for the London retailer, E. Watson, King Street, Cheapside, London. (The Brocot aperture came into common usage by clockmakers in France circa 1850s and was invented by Achille Brocot c. 1841.)
The base is wood and the pencil writing say Louis XVI, two children with “something” perhaps wine jug or playing, just mentioning the theme. The Louis XVI should be written in the style of Louis XVI. . .
Movement: Round solid brass plate movement with the two brass plates pinned at the back plate. Above, one sees the Brocot pendulum suspension spring, patented by Achille Brocot in 1865. The pendulum rod and bob hang from the spring. The movement has an anchor escapement, steel cut pinions, steel arbors, brass gearing, two barrel springs of eight-day duration which strike the hour and half hours on the large silvered bell at the back. the lower portion of the back plate has engraved into the brass, E. Watson 6 King St Cheapside London. This French movement was signed for the retailer.
Condition: The overall condition of this piece is excellent with the expected signs of wear, e.g. the gilt gesso chipping on the base. But it is all genuine and original throughout, and the Dore bronze finish has taken on a nice patina. The execution of the case, the casting of the cherubs and the style remains very god and such clocks are still in vogue today. The dial has a chip at the four position. So, this is a late 19th century replica of a type of clock that was made a century earlier in the late 18th century during the reign of French King Louis XVI.
I have compared this French figural mantel clock with others like that have been sold at auction to arrive at a fair market price range of $1500-$2000. The more complex the scene, the higher the price will go if in very good or better condition. What impresses me most is the fact that no one has tried to enliven the finish or alter it in any significant manner. It is genuine and you should treasure this family heirloom. Retail prices can be 2-3 times the figure I have provided for you. Don’t restore any chips or change anything on this old French piece.
My best,
David