Empire Pendulum

Portal clock signed “Persevalle à Reims” This refined Louis XVI – Empire transition style portico clock in gilt bronze and black marble is signed on the dial “Persevalle à Reims”. The Empire style was based on elements of the Roman Empire and its culture, rediscovered from the 18th century. Bronze was the primary material used in Empire style timepieces and patina and gilt bronze techniques were widely used for ornamentation during this period. As for the source of inspiration for the decorative motifs in the Louis XVI style, it comes from nature and antiquity, so many characteristic elements will be found in the architecture, interior decoration and furniture. Many ornaments are borrowed from flora, and this love of nature appears in the decoration by the presence of a wreath of roses, baskets, palmettes, bows and ribbons. The portal clock is mainly made of black marble and golden bronze ornaments, which with their minimalist touch complement each other. As mentioned earlier, the source of inspiration for this portico clock comes from antiquity. The columns which are a key feature of portico clocks are built in Greco-Roman architecture. The two black front pillars are in Tuscan style with gilded capital and base, they are also entwined with an acanthus spiral around the pillar. The rear columns, unlike the front one, are square and only have a face decorated with a floral garland in gilded bronze. The four columns are connected at the top by an entablature with a cylinder-shaped dial in the middle in bronze. The entablature is decorated on both sides with lyres and gilded flower vases. The dial of the clock is signed "Persevalle à Reims" and consists of blue Breguet-style hands which indicate the hours in Roman numerals and the minutes in Arabic numerals on the enamel dial. Breguet hands have a circle with a crescent shape filled in on the side and have been featured as the hands of its founder's watch for over two centuries now. This unique shape is sometimes referred to by the French word for apple, pomme. Above the dial is a small black marble plinth and a marble Medici vase with golden roses and lilies. The bottom of the dial is decorated with a garland of foliage which presents in the center a medallion of two trumpets crossed together. Suspended between the columns is a sunburst pendulum with the face of the Sun King. The base of the clock is constructed in a trapezium shape with curved sides. The front is adorned with a simple gilt bronze frieze of laurel garlands intertwined with a beaded line. The portico clock rests on four flattened ball feet also in gilded bronze. Portico clocks were invented during the Louis XVI era, along with many more other designs. The portico model has been very successful, which is why they come in a wide variety of designs and colors, but their main structure always consists of a plinth, two columns or obelisks, an entablature and 'a sundial in the center of the entablature. With four columns the base becomes more complex due to the curves and shapes, therefore the entablature adapts to the shape of the base and follows the movements. The concept is mainly linked to the architecture of Greek and Roman temples, as it was the source of inspiration for most Louis XVI and Empire style elements.