Dragon-Antiques.com has dated this piece to the 1890s.
~~ Excellent condition, fully overhauled ~~
A superb ormolu (fine gilded bronze) by the famous Maison Baguès. Beautifully made, crisp and finely finished with a lovely original gild. It is Baroque in style with winged cherubs to the shoulders with swags and acanthus. To the top is an elaborate pieced urn with floral swags. To the bottom acanthus and floral swags. It is unusual in having it's original oak mounting board.
The dial is porcelain enamel on copper and is signed Eugene Bagues, fabricant de Bronzes, Paris. It is unusual with red half-hour markers and minute ring.
The backplate is stamped with the Baguès movement mark. Pendulum is a original also with the Baguès movement mark. It runs for 8 days and strikes the hours and halves on a bell. It has an unusual patented pendulum swinger, functioned via a key shaft at the 6'oclock position on the dial. Click the video clip below to hear the bell and watch the clock running!
Maison Baguès was founded in 1860 as a specialist in liturgical bronzes. Eugène Baguès took over from his father Noël in 1880 and expanded into the production of bronze light fixtures, clocks and high quality interior elements. The company gained and international reputation, expanding the company’s operation to New York, Rome and Cairo. Noted for their high end hand crafted work, such as complex carved sconces and hand-strung crystal chandeliers, Maison Baguès appealed to an elite clientele. While Baguès’ Art Deco crystal lighting fixtures drew the most attention, the company was also known for bespoke metalwork that drew commissions from important interior designers and decorating firms such as Maison Jansen and Raymond Subes. The idiosyncratic genius Armand-Albert Rateau used Maison Baguès accessories to decorate the interiors of Jeanne Lanvin’s town home in 1928. Maison Baguès products have also been featured in luxury hotels like Paris's George V, and the Savoy in London. The company continues today. (1stdibs).
The mark CHLES MT is found on clocks signed Eugene Bagues to the dial.
Listed in Tardy Dictionnaire Des Horlogers Francois as working at 31 Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, Paris in 1880.
Condition of the case is excellent, the original gilding is beautifully clean and bright with hardly any wear or discolouration. The dial is also in excellent condition. The original glass had some scratches.
Eugene Bagues, fabricant de Bronzes, signed to the dial.
Eugene Bagues movement signature on the backplate and the E. Lourdelet patent on the pendulum swinger arm
Complete with original pendulum, bell and a suitable key. Full setting up instructions supplied if required.
Dimensions of clock:
inches: Height 23", Width 12", Depth 5 1/4"
centimetres: Height 58 cm, Width 30.5 cm, Depth 13.5 cm
Dragon-Antiques.com has dated this piece to the 1890s.
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Dragon-Antiques.com Profile Page
Antique French Ormolu Cartel Wall Clock by Maison Bagues, Paris
