48,881  PAGES BROWSED TODAY PAGES TODAY 83  ANTIQUES UPLOADED TODAY NEW ARRIVALS
ID #SA866121
FOR SALE
£3,950
Email Buy
Save
Antique French Ormolu Drum Head Clock with Lions Masks
Dragon-Antiques.com
for sale €4,622     $5,017
£3,950

Dragon-Antiques.com

Sellingantiques Verified Since Feb 2007
View Dealers Stock Page
Id #SA866121
PDF SHARE
SAVE

Antique French Ormolu Drum Head Clock with Lions Masks

19th century
Description

~ French - Circa 1860 ~

~~ Excellent condition, fully overhauled ~~

A fine and early original antique French drum head clock. Beautifully made in finely gilded bronze, It is of Neoclassical design with lions masks, scrolling acanthus supports and a classical urn to the top with flame finial. Pierced panels to the four sides allow the pendulum to be seen gently swinging within. The movement is by Samuel Marti.

The superb large dial is porcelain enamel on copper with its original finely cut gilt brass hands and convex glass. The rear door is also glazed to allow the movement to be seen.

The French movement is of high quality and is by Samuel Marti. It is in excellent clean and running condition having been fully overhauled by our clockmaker. It is the earlier, large plate version of the Paris movement with pin-pallet escapement, rack striking and outside spring hammer stop. Pendulum is a replacement. It runs for 8 days and strikes the hours and halves on a bell. We have a video oc the clock, please ask and we will send you a link.

The design of this clock is based on the 18th century by the well known case maker Antoine Foullet (1710-1775). He was a cabinet maker who specialised in clockcases. He became master in 1749 and worked from his workshop on the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, Paris. Following his death in 1775, an inventory drawn up lists twenty clocks cases, some made entirely of bronze. Foullet's work is represented in the finest collections including The J Paul Getty Museum. A design drawing of a similar clock can be seen on page 192 of Vergoldete Bronzen by Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Proschel.

A clock of similar design can be seen on page 239 of Les Plus Belles Pendules Francaises by Giacomo and Aurelie Wannenes 2013.

Samuel Marti clockmakers mark on the movement backplate

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 just some tiny nibbles to the winding holes. The original glass has some chipping to the edge.

Complete with pendulum, bell and a suitable key. Full setting up instructions supplied if required.

Dimensions of clock:

inches: Height 16 1/4", Width 10", Depth 5 3/4"

centimetres: Height 41.5 cm, Width 25.5 cm, Depth 14.5 cm

Shipping within UK £25

Shipping to USA / Europe £115 by air fully insured

World wide shipping - £150 by air fully insured

Physical Dimensions
Height
41.5cm (16.34")
Width
25.5cm (10.04")
Depth
14.5cm (5.71")
Declaration

Dragon-Antiques.com has dated this French Ormolu Mantle Clock to the 1860s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA866121
Dealers Internal Reference
RSC3099
Dealers Notes

Email Julie now to reserve this item! .

BITCOIN - we now accept - please ask and we will send you a coinbase invoice

Phone number - please includes as many email accounts such as hotmail etc automatically junk replies.

Buy now with the Paypal button, even if you dont have a Paypal account! All other payment methods accepted, please see our website for more details or phone Julie now!

World wide shipping by air fully insured. Please see our website for more pictures and video - http://www.Dragon-Antiques.com

Description
~ French - Circa 1860 ~

~~ Excellent condition, fully overhauled ~~

A fine and early original antique French drum head clock.

Beautifully made in finely gilded bronze, It is of Neoclassical design with lions masks, scrolling acanthus supports and a classical urn to the top with flame finial.
Dragon-Antiques.com

Pierced panels to the four sides allow the pendulum to be seen gently swinging within. The movement is by Samuel Marti.

fig 1. An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals.
fig 1. Antique French Ormolu Drum Head Clock with Lions Masks

The superb large dial is porcelain enamel on copper with its original finely cut gilt brass hands and convex glass. The rear door is also glazed to allow the movement to be seen.

The French movement is of high quality and is by Samuel Marti. It is in excellent clean and running condition having been fully overhauled by our clockmaker. It is the earlier, large plate version of the Paris movement with pin-pallet escapement, rack striking and outside spring hammer stop. Pendulum is a replacement. It runs for 8 days and strikes the hours and halves on a bell. We have a video oc the clock, please ask and we will send you a link.

fig 2. An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals.
fig 2. Antique French Ormolu Drum Head Clock with Lions Masks

The design of this clock is based on the 18th century by the well known case maker Antoine Foullet (1710-1775). He was a cabinet maker who specialised in clockcases. He became master in 1749 and worked from his workshop on the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, Paris. Following his death in 1775, an inventory drawn up lists twenty clocks cases, some made entirely of bronze. Foullet's work is represented in the finest collections including The J Paul Getty Museum. A design drawing of a similar clock can be seen on page 192 of Vergoldete Bronzen by Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Proschel.

fig 3. An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals.
fig 3. Antique French Ormolu Drum Head Clock with Lions Masks

A clock of similar design can be seen on page 239 of Les Plus Belles Pendules Francaises by Giacomo and Aurelie Wannenes 2013.

Samuel Marti clockmakers mark on the movement backplate

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 just some tiny nibbles to the winding holes. The original glass has some chipping to the edge.

fig 4. An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals.
fig 4. Antique French Ormolu Drum Head Clock with Lions Masks

Complete with pendulum, bell and a suitable key. Full setting up instructions supplied if required.

Dimensions of clock:

inches: Height 16 1/4", Width 10", Depth 5 3/4"

centimetres: Height 41.5 cm, Width 25.5 cm, Depth 14.5 cm

Shipping within UK £25

Shipping to USA / Europe £115 by air fully insured

World wide shipping - £150 by air fully insured

Height
41.5cm (16.34")
Width
25.5cm (10.04")
Depth
14.5cm (5.71")
Date of Manufacture

Dragon-Antiques.com has dated this French Ormolu Mantle Clock to the 1860s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA866121
Dealers Internal Ref
RSC3099
Dragon-Antiques.com
Sellingantiques verified Since Feb 2007
Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Dragon-Antiques.com Profile Page

PDF SHARE
SAVE
An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals.
1 / 17
Archive I An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals.

Antique French Ormolu Drum Head Clock with Lions Masks

Archive II An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View II
Archive III An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View III
Archive IV Scale Reference for An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals.
Archive V An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View V
Archive VI An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View VI
Archive VII An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View VII
Archive VIII An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View VIII
Archive IX An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View IX
Archive X An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View X
Archive XI An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View XI
Archive XII An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View XII
Archive XIII An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View XIII
Archive XIV An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View XIV
Archive XV An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View XV
Archive XVI An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View XVI
Archive XVII An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals. View XVII
FURTHER BROWSING

Visitors also looked at these ⇣

Enlarged Archival View
Telephone 01773 829 629
Location
Mill House
Blackbrook
Belper
Derbyshire
DE56 2DB
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/dragon
Verified Since Feb 2007
Items For Sale 54
Items Sold 852
Dragon-Antiques.com
Verified Since Feb 2007
View Dealer Info
Location: Mill House, Blackbrook, Belper, Derbyshire, DE56 2DB, United Kingdom
Verified
Feb 2007
For Sale
54
Sold
852
An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals.
Antique French Ormolu Drum Head Clock with Lions Masks
Ref: SA866121
An antique French ormolu drum head clock featuring cast lion mask handles, a top flame finial, floral swags, and a white enamel dial with Roman numerals.
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
Detail View 3
Detail View 4
Detail View 5
Detail View 6
Detail View 7
Detail View 8
Detail View 9
Detail View 10
Detail View 11
Detail View 12
Detail View 13
Detail View 14
Detail View 15
Scale Reference
Archival Detail
Every single antique dealer on our platform is individually approved by our internal team. We verify their professional trade history, ethical standards, and photographic quality to ensure a secure, high-standard buying environment. Upon joining, every dealer agrees to a strict 9-point code of conduct. While issues can occasionally arise, our dealers typically resolve them swiftly and directly with the buyer. In fact, since our founding in 2002, Sellingantiques has only had to step in to help resolve an issue on roughly five occasions—a true testament to the quality of our dealers and their dedication to your happiness.
Our dealers are highly experienced in packing and shipping fragile, high-value antiques. Because you are in direct contact with the dealer, you will be able to easily go through all available shipping and insurance options together to ensure your item arrives safely.
Antiques are the ultimate green purchase. By choosing historical pieces over newly manufactured goods, you completely eliminate the carbon footprint of modern mass production while preserving exceptional, timeless craftsmanship.

A drum head clock features a circular movement housing elevated above a wider decorative base, a structure developed in late 18th and early 19th-century France. The design prioritises the central round dial while integrating classical architectural and figurative elements into the supporting bronze case.

Traditional French ormolu clocks were cast in bronze and coated with an amalgam of gold and mercury through fire-gilding. The clock dials were constructed from enamelled copper with hand-painted numerals, paired with steel hands and brass movement plates.

Authentic 18th and 19th-century ormolu displays fine hand-chasing on the bronze surfaces, showing detailed detail under magnification. The reverse side typically shows raw casting marks, hand-threaded screws, and natural age-related oxidisation rather than uniform modern finishes.

An ormolu clock can serve as a focal point on a marble fireplace mantelpiece, a dark wood sideboard, or a central console table. Placing the gilded metal against matte walls or minimalist stone surfaces highlights the sculptural casting and detailed brasswork.

Gilt bronze should be dusted regularly with a soft dry brush or microfiber cloth, avoiding liquid chemicals, metal polishes, or water which can strip historical gilding. Clock movements require periodic servicing by a qualified horologist to maintain mechanical accuracy.
items
Add keywords to the filter
Price
£100
£250000
Era
Movements
Material
Origin
Stock Location
Freshness
Online Payments
Categories