How many clock garnitures come up each year?

Around 25 are listed a year on Sellingantiques, drawn from a wide spread of dealers rather than one or two specialists. Seventy-four different dealers have handled one, which is close to one dealer per two listings.

What does a three-piece garniture include?

A mantel clock and two matching side pieces. Candelabra are the commonest flankers, with vases and urns close behind, and figural bronzes on some sets. The cases are made to match, so the trio reads as one object rather than three items put together.

Are these sets mostly French?

Yes. French origin is stated in well over half the titles, making it the single most stated fact about a garniture in this category. Other origins barely register: one Italian bronze-and-marble set, two Black Forest carved examples, a German porcelain set.

Which marbles do dealers name?

Sienna, red, white, pink, black slate, bleu turquin, breccia and block marble all appear in titles. Dealers tend to name the variety rather than leave it at "marble". Onyx turns up in a small number of listings, and alabaster and malachite once or twice apiece.

What do Art Deco garnitures look like?

They are the second population in the category, about one in seven listings, dated to the 1920s and 1930s. Marble cases are common, often with bronze or spelter figures. The subjects mark them out: dancers, greyhounds, elephants and tigers, a German shepherd dog, a Pierrot and Columbine.

Do any unusual garnitures turn up?

A few, once each. A set with a 'penny moon' dial showing moon phases, a lyre-form clock, a cathedral clock under an original dome. An Egyptian Revival set and a garniture on the theme of Literature also appear. Rare case treatments include tortoiseshell, toleware and Imari porcelain mounts.

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Antique Clock Garnitures

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A clock garniture is a matched set for a chimneypiece: a mantel clock with a pair of side pieces, usually candelabra, vases or urns, made and cased to match and sold as one lot.