French Rare Lyre Form Mystery Clock
A work of horological art, this rare French lyre-form mystery clock combines ingenious mechanical design with striking visual drama. Crafted in ebony and enriched with finely chased gilt-bronze ormolu, the piece radiates both elegance and grandeur.
The stepped plinth base, ornamented with classical acanthus friezes, supports the soaring lyre form adorned with opulent ormolu embellishments such as winding cornucopia overflowing with flowers, scrolling acanthus, and leafy fronds. At its center, the gilt brass globe dial floats in seeming suspension, its Roman numerals and moon-shaped hands mysteriously marking the hours. This concealed “mystery” mechanism is powered by an 8-day pinwheel escapement movement that strikes the hours and half-hours on a bell.
Rising above, the lyre’s “strings” take the form of gilded floral garlands that culminate in the radiant tableau of a graceful maiden, perhaps a mythological muse, draped in flowing robes and poised amid clouds against a sunburst backdrop. This dramatic allegorical figure imbues the clock with theatrical presence, making it as much a sculptural statement as a timekeeper.
Mystery clocks of this caliber are exceedingly rare, admired not only for their technical brilliance but also for their ability to blur the line between decorative art and mechanical ingenuity. These mechanical marvels receive their name from the seemingly mysterious way in which the mechanism operates, often appearing to move as if by magic.
Fully restored and offered with a one-year warranty, this exceptional example embodies the refinement and imagination of mid-19th-century French craftsmanship.
25″H x 11″W x 7″D
Circa 1865
Original Price $17,500