Hello Jennifer,
Thank you for sending in your French mantel clock to mearto for appraisal. It is a bit difficult to do this without seeing the movement but I will try to be of assistance.
TITLE:
Dore bronze, double barrel spring, eight-day time and striking mantel clock in the Louis XV manner, unsigned on the dial, movement not shown, likely made in Art Nouveau circa 1900-1910.
DESCRIPTION:
Case: 12" x 7" x 4.5", rococo bronzed spelter mantel clock with the ornate Dore bronze dial surrounded by gilt spelter designs of flowers and leaves very much in the style seen during the Art Nouveau era of circa 1880-1910. the case is surmounted by rosettes and curled leaves all in Dore bronze. The waist narrows just below the dial and the case rests on acanthus leaf feet. . .
Dial: The hammered brass dial has applied porcelain enamel cameos with Roman hours, aa minute ring that it is very rough in it slack of precision on the outside, a Brocot aperture at twelve for altering the speed of the movement. The winding arbor extends outside the Brocot opening which is something usually not seen, it is usually hidden behind the dial. the skeletonized hands on the dial do not match nor are they 19th century hands, but definitely made in the 20th century. The dial is unsigned. . .
Movement compartment is at the rear of the case and is not opened so that I cannot see the movement. It should be a round solid plate brass movement with two-barrel springs of eight-day duration and striking the hour and half hour on a coiled gong or bell. . .
Condition: the case itself with the dial almost look new to me and without age. Sometimes cases such as these are fitted with 19th century antique French movements even though the case was made in the 20th century, and such clocks were made for sale on the decorator or home furnishings market. In fact, In the 1980s, Italian furniture companies in northern Italy made similar reproductions and used German made Franz Hermle movements (those with punctate rather than smooth round brass plate) and sold them as reproductions. This clock could be a legitimate French clock from the early 20th century or it may be one of the Italian/German replications which have been sold on the market since the 1980s. That is why I have chosen to give you two values with a broad separation, the lower value is for a late 20th century repro and the higher value for a circa 1900 French clock with replaced hands.
I have compared this clock with values for similar clocks in recent auctions to arrive at these values. Retail prices can be as much as 3-4 times these amounts.
I hope I have shed some light on what type of clock you have.
Best regards,
David