Marble Weight Driven Table Regulator
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This magnificent French regulator clock was crafted by Brosse of Bordeaux
Key Features
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- A work of monumental artistry, this rare French regulator clock was crafted by Brosse of Bordeaux
- The clock is powered by a detent escapement, a highly unusual mechanism today
- Circa 1820
- 20 1/2" wide x 10 1/2" deep x 45 1/2" high
Item Details
- Width:
20 1/2 Inches - Height:
45 1/2 Inches - Depth:
10 1/2 Inches - Period:
19th Century - Origin:
France
This rare and beguiling French Regulator clock by Brosse of Bordeaux is a work of exceptional design. This clock features a detent escapement, believed to be more consistent than any other escapement, which contributes to the noteworthy accuracy of this mechanism. This power system is highly unusual even today. This clock is among the first known as a "Regulator," which was not widely produced until much later, at the turn of the 20th century. The Regulator clock was considered to be one of the main causes of the demise of the Dutch clock industry.
Designed to hold a place of honor, the intricate weight-driven mechanism sits upon a Carrara marble sarcophagus base supported by reeded ormolu pillars. A steel frame supports the ormolu-spired marble canopy from which the clock descends. These rods also anchor the lines from which two silvered, pear-shaped weights are suspended. These weights, the clock's motive force, propel the mercury jar pendulum that swings above the clock on a spring suspension, triggering the detent escapement with a ruby impulse pallet. Blued steel hands mark the time on the silvered dial with champleve Roman numerals, with a seconds ring at the apex. Revolutionary for its time, the clock is effortless and complex, straightforward yet fascinating. An almost identical clock is featured in Encyclopédie de La Pendule Française du Moyen Age au XXe siècle.
20 1/2" wide x 10 1/2" deep x 45 1/2" high
Circa 1820
After the mid-18th century, French design styles evolved from the very ornate to much simpler forms. Straight lines and architectural features reappeared. During the First Empire, a style of clock case consisting of four pillars on a base supporting an entabulature with a circular movement suspended from it became popular. It remained so well into the 19th century, and the precision-made circular movement is considered to be one of the best high-quality productions ever made on a commercial scale.
Reference:
Encyclopédie de La Pendule Française du Moyen Age au XXe siècle,1997, Pierre KjellbergEuropean Clocks, 1968, E.J. Tyler
Designed to hold a place of honor, the intricate weight-driven mechanism sits upon a Carrara marble sarcophagus base supported by reeded ormolu pillars. A steel frame supports the ormolu-spired marble canopy from which the clock descends. These rods also anchor the lines from which two silvered, pear-shaped weights are suspended. These weights, the clock's motive force, propel the mercury jar pendulum that swings above the clock on a spring suspension, triggering the detent escapement with a ruby impulse pallet. Blued steel hands mark the time on the silvered dial with champleve Roman numerals, with a seconds ring at the apex. Revolutionary for its time, the clock is effortless and complex, straightforward yet fascinating. An almost identical clock is featured in Encyclopédie de La Pendule Française du Moyen Age au XXe siècle.
20 1/2" wide x 10 1/2" deep x 45 1/2" high
Circa 1820
After the mid-18th century, French design styles evolved from the very ornate to much simpler forms. Straight lines and architectural features reappeared. During the First Empire, a style of clock case consisting of four pillars on a base supporting an entabulature with a circular movement suspended from it became popular. It remained so well into the 19th century, and the precision-made circular movement is considered to be one of the best high-quality productions ever made on a commercial scale.
Reference:
Encyclopédie de La Pendule Française du Moyen Age au XXe siècle,1997, Pierre KjellbergEuropean Clocks, 1968, E.J. Tyler
