~ French - Circa 1880 ~~~ Excellent condition, fully overhauled ~~A rare and superb antique French Gothic cartel clock. It is designed architecturally with twin spires and a soaring roof of tracery. Perched above is a mythical flying creature, delicately holding the clock representing the fragility of time itself. Beautifully made in gilded bronze.The large dial is porcelain enamel on copper with beautifully cut and blued steel hands and convex glass.The French movement is of high quality and is in excellent clean and running condition having been fully overhauled by our clockmaker. Pendulum is original. It runs for 8 days and strikes the hours and halves on a bell. We have a video of the clock running, please ask and we will send you a link or paste this into your browser: https://www.facebook.com/DragonAntiques/videos/1015425029955664Condition of the case is excellent, the original gilding is beautifully clean and bright with hardly any wear or discolouration. The dial is also excellent with some small nibbles to the winding holes. According to an advertisement in the 1896 issue of Didot-Bottin (directory and almanac for commerce, industry, judicial and civil services) the Maison H. Riondet, Comptoir General, a retailer, was one of �the most well-stocked shops for everything from: jewellery, bronze art objects, timepieces & furniture, precious stones, marble sculptures, silverware, ceiling lights & white metal, chandeliers, cutlery, lamps & diamond-facetted fireplaces, travel clocks, �fine-stone� pearls.� It boasted �factory prices� and �retail stores in Paris with no other branches, representatives, or offices in any other city, French or foreign.� Maison H. Riondet was located at 9, boulevard Poissonni�re and 45, rue du Sentier in Paris. The 1911 Annuaire de la Curiosit� et des Beaux-Arts, a directory of curiosities and fine art, shows that the retailer was a member of the bronze manufacturing trade union.Intersecting the grand Paris...