Vintage Oriental Style Clock
A vintage oriental style clock brings decorative lacquer and painted wooden cases into a room, offering striking visual depth.
Vintage Oriental Style Clock
A vintage oriental style clock typically presents as a mantel clock or a tall longcase clock, often referred to as grandmother clocks. The examples seen on this page span several periods, including the Georgian era, the nineteenth century, nineteen hundred, nineteen twenty, nineteen thirty, nineteen sixty, and seventeenth century styles.
Most pieces encountered here adopt Chinoiserie, Edwardian Chinoiserie, Chinoiserie Revival, or Georgian Chinoiserie styles. These designs frequently feature black, blue, cream, or green lacquer applied to wooden bodies.
Buyers look for these items to anchor a room with traditional decorative schemes. The selection ranges from compact mantel clocks to tall musical longcase clocks with Westminster chimes.
Materials and construction methods
Makers built these clock cases using wood and lacquered wood, often finishing surfaces with lacquer, glass, gilt, and gold leaf. Brass components appear frequently in the movements and dial fittings.
Decorative surfaces rely on painted wood and lacquer techniques to achieve the characteristic Chinoiserie aesthetic. Movements include eight day mechanisms, three train setups, and French movements alongside musical options.
Some clocks hide musical boxes inside their tall wooden bodies to serenade the room unexpectedly.
What defines quality in these clocks
Quality rests in the execution of the lacquered wood case and the complexity of the movement. Pieces featuring intricate Chinoiserie painted details stand apart from simpler monochrome examples.
Elliott London·Gardner of London
The Vintage Oriental Style Clock Glossary
- Chinoiserie
- European decorative style reflecting Chinese artistic influences, prominent in lacquered clock cases. This aesthetic defines the primary style seen across the listed items.
- Mantel clock
- A clock designed to sit on a mantelpiece or shelf. These smaller units often feature painted wood and lacquer finishes.
- Longcase clock
- A tall pendulum clock enclosed in a wooden case resting on the floor. Versions here include grandmother clocks and musical longcase pieces.
- Three train clock
- A clock movement with three gear trains for timekeeping, striking, and playing chimes. Elliott London examples utilise this complex mechanism.
- Gold leaf
- Gold beaten into thin sheets used for gilding decorative surfaces. It highlights details on lacquer clock cases.
Vintage Oriental Style Clock: Frequently Asked Questions
What periods do these clocks date from?
The pieces span the Georgian period, the nineteenth century, and twentieth-century decades including nineteen hundred, nineteen twenty, nineteen thirty, and nineteen sixty.
Some items also replicate seventeenth-century styles within later revival periods.
What is the difference between a mantel clock and a grandmother clock?
Mantel clocks are compact timepieces built to sit on shelves or fireplace mantels. Grandmother clocks are scaled-down versions of longcase clocks that stand taller on the floor.
Both forms utilise Chinoiserie lacquer and painted wood finishes.
What colours are available in the lacquer cases?
The selection includes black, blue, cream, and green lacquered wood surfaces. These finishes often incorporate gilt or gold leaf details.
Each colourway reflects different expressions of Chinoiserie taste across the decades.