How many pieces are in a clock set?

Three is the standard: the clock and two matching side pieces, most often candelabra or urns. Titles that state a count almost always say three. Dealers write it as "3 piece", "three piece" or "3pc", and some skip the number and just say garniture.

What does garniture mean on a clock listing?

Garniture de cheminée is the French term for a clock made as a suite with matching ornaments for a chimneypiece. On Sellingantiques the word appears in roughly a quarter of titles. Dealers use "set" and "garniture" interchangeably, so the two words describe the same thing.

Are antique clock sets usually French?

Yes. Just over half of all titles contain the word "french", which makes it the single most predictable feature of the category. Black Forest is the rarest recurring origin, with only a handful of mantel sets against the French mass, and those sit high in the range.

Which period do most sets date from?

The second half of the 19th century, with the 1880s and 1890s the two busiest decades by a clear margin, followed by the 1860s and 1870s. The dated field runs from 1750 to 1960, but 18th-century entries are isolated one-offs. A large block of listings gives only "19th Century" or "Victorian" without a decade.

Do Art Deco clock sets appear in this category?

They do, and they form their own group of around thirty titles dated to the 1920s and 1930s. The bodies are marble, onyx and chrome, with bronze animal or figure groups on top: panthers, a greyhound, elephants, cubist cats. Nothing else in the archive looks like them.

What are porcelain-mounted sets?

Sets where the case is porcelain, or where painted and gilt porcelain panels are set into a gilt-bronze or marble case. They are the standing minority, around one in ten titles. Imari and named German factories surface only once or twice each. Porcelain and enamel decoration sits consistently toward the top of the range.

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Antique Clock Sets

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A clock set, or garniture de cheminée, is a mantel clock sold with matching side pieces, usually a pair of candelabra, urns or vases made to stand with it on a chimneypiece.