What is a boulle clock?

Boulle is tortoiseshell inlaid with brass, or brass inlaid with tortoiseshell, worked into the case. It appears in 138 titles on Sellingantiques, and 73 of those are mantel clocks. The form runs large. One boulle clock in the archive is given as over four feet high, another mantel example at 86cm.

Do all French carriage clocks strike?

No. Some are timepieces, showing the time only, and 53 titles say so. Among those that do more, striking, repeating and alarm work are all common. Repeating appears in 87 titles, alarm in 67.

Which period do most French clocks come from?

The bulk falls between the 1860s and the 1900s. The 1890s and 1880s are almost exactly level as the busiest decades, with the 1900s close behind. Pre-1800 dating is uncommon, usually entered as "18th Century" on individual pieces rather than a year. At the other end, the 1930s account for a run of Art Deco Bakelite, chrome and marble clocks.

What is a cartel clock?

A cartel is an ornate cast wall clock, usually in gilt bronze, hung rather than stood. Sixty-four titles use the term. Wall forms as a whole are a small minority of the category, alongside comtoise and dial clocks. Sizes can be substantial: one cartel in the archive is recorded at 52 inches.

Why are some listings dated only 19th Century?

Dealers enter a date when the piece supports one. A full 393 listings on Sellingantiques are dated only "19th Century" and a further 178 only "Victorian". That leaves roughly a fifth of the archive with no single year attached, while 1,802 listings do pin a piece to one.

How does a garniture differ from a single clock?

A garniture is a clock with matching side pieces, most often candelabra or urns, made and sold as a set. 104 titles name one. Sets that still have their side pieces sit higher in the range than the clock alone, and the same is true of clocks retaining an original case, key or glass dome.

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Antique French Clocks

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French domestic clocks made from the middle of the eighteenth century onward: striking clocks for the chimneypiece and portable brass carriage clocks, built in Paris and the provinces for home use and for export.