French Gilt Bronze Bacchic Parade Figural Mantel Clock

A celebration of myth, movement, and exuberant 19th-century French artistry, this magnificent gilt-bronze mantel clock depicts a lively procession inspired by Bacchus’s retinue. Atop the drum-shaped case reclines a nude female. Likely inspired by the Maenads of Bacchic mythology, her raised arm lifts a cluster of grapes, an homage to the god of wine and revelry. Below her, delicate grape and vine garlands cascade from the case, echoing the Bacchic theme.

Two charming winged cupids support the clock, each riding a finely modeled goat, figures associated with rustic festival imagery and abandon of ancient Dionysian myth. Their forms are rendered with remarkable detail, from the texture of their fur to the fluidity of the cupids’ poses.

The clock rests upon luminous Carrara marble, its smooth white surface contrasted by intricate gilt-bronze mounts. At its center, a classical relief panel depicts a Roman procession, binding the clock’s narrative firmly to the iconography of antiquity. The hand-painted convex porcelain dial features delicate floral garlands, Arabic numerals, an indistinct signature, and ornate gilt brass hands. Within, an 8-day movement strikes the bell on the hour and half-hour.

A dramatic and exquisitely composed piece, this clock embodies the exuberance of Classical myth and the refinement of late-19th-century French clockmaking.

19″ High x 16″ Wide x 6″ Deep

Circa 1875