What is a clock garniture?

A clock garniture is a matched decorative set designed for a mantelpiece, featuring a central clock paired with matching side pieces like urns or candelabras. These sets create a balanced, symmetrical display that dominated nineteenth-century formal interior decoration.

How do you style a garniture?

Place the central clock in the exact middle of a mantelpiece or sideboard with the matching urns or candelabras positioned symmetrically on either side. This arrangement maintains the classical architectural balance intended by nineteenth-century designers.

What periods do these pieces come from?

The majority of pieces date from the nineteenth century, encompassing Victorian production as well as French Empire and Louis XVI revival styles. Earlier eighteenth-century examples also appear alongside later nineteenth-century interpretations of classical forms.

What materials were used?

Craftsmen utilised cast bronze, ormolu, and gilded brass combined with white marble, coloured marble, and white onyx. Enamel dials and porcelain inserts also feature in the clock faces and decorative urn bodies.

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Neoclassical Bronze Garniture

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A neoclassical bronze garniture brings architectural symmetry and classical discipline to a mantelpiece, combining gilt metal and stone in a balanced display.