Dragon-Antiques.com has dated this piece to the 1880s.
~ French - Circa 1880 ~
~~ Excellent condition, fully overhauled ~~
A lovely antique French clock by Louis Japy and retailed by Maison Henri Riondet of Paris. It is beautifully modelled in gilded bronze, waisted Rococo shape mounted on an integral base. Profusely decorated with dolphins to the shoulders, 'C' scrolls and trailing acanthus.
The dial is cream porcelain enamel, lettered in blue. It is complete with it's original finely fretted gilt hands and convex glazed bezel.
Pendulum is a replacement. It runs for 8 days and strikes the hours and halves on a bell. We have a video available of the clock running, please ask.
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 Poissonnière and 45, rue du Sentier in Paris. The 1911 Annuaire de la Curiosité 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 Parisian boulevards, the Comptoir Général was located on the royal route, which under the Second Empire already connected the Madeleine to the Gymnase Theatre. The retailer figured among the great Parisian stores of the late nineteenth-century, providing “free entry” to customers. Strolling from the Place de la Madeleine to the Café des Variétés on Boulevard Montmartre, elegant crowds stopped to admire the store’s display windows, stocked in an abundant and spectacular manner.
The Comptoir Général was contemporary with other great department stores of the period, like the Grands Magasins du Louvre, Bon Marché, and La Samaritaine, and attested to the new forms of commerce developing during the second half of the nineteenth century. These stores became showcases; advertising in newspapers, they offered the consumer a diverse and varied product, displayed in a way that was elaborate and luxurious.
Louis Japy clockmaker's mark on the movement backplate along with the mark of retailer Maison Henri Riondet.
Condition of the case is excellent, the original gilding is beautifully clean and bright with hardly any wear or discolouration and there are no losses. The dial is also in excellent condition with no damage.
Complete with pendulum, bell and a suitable key. Full setting up instructions supplied if required.
Dimensions of clock:
inches: Height 13 1/2", Width 12 1/4", Depth 8"
centimetres: Height 34.5 cm, Width 31 cm, Depth 20.5 cm
Shipping within UK £25
Shipping to USA / Europe £75 by air fully insured
World wide shipping - £95 by air fully insured
Dragon-Antiques.com has dated this piece to the 1880s.
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Dragon-Antiques.com Profile Page
Louis Japy Antique French Gilt Bronze Rococo Clock ~ Dolphins
