Portico Mantel Clock with chime, France, 1855.

Excellent Napoleon III portico clock, 19th century, circa 1870. It is made with fine woods and brass inlays. It is in a good state of preservation and working order. It combines the wood finished in ebony with the gilded bronze of the decorative applications of vegetal motifs of the pendulum and the frame of the sphere, the base and the capital of the columns. The structure is reminiscent of a classical temple, with a solid base, four columns and an entablature with frieze and cornice. The columns are of Solomonic style and are crowned by fine gilded bronze capitals in Corinthian style. The porcelain dial has a slight crack at six o'clock and some chipping at the entrance of the key, which do not tarnish the overall good condition of the porcelain. Its numbering is Roman and in cobalt blue enamel. Located between the columns, it is complemented by a decorative bronze pendulum in the form of a synthesized rosette crowned by two slender swan figures. The back of the clock displays the complex Vincenti & Cie, Medaille d'Argent branded machinery. It is an eight-day Paris movement with hour and half-hour chiming. The original key is included with the set. It is no less than 150 years old and, nevertheless, it has a perfect sound, marking the hours and half-hours. Measures: 45,5 cms (height), 22,5 cms (width), 13 cms (depth).