Figural mantel clock - - Gilt bronze, white - 1850-1900

Luigi XVI Mantel clock “Venus and Cupid” — France, late 19th century
Fine French mantel clock in mercury gilded bronze (ormolu) and white Carrara marble, in Louis XVI style, depicting the classical allegorical subject of Venus and Cupid in a tender embrace above the dial.
The bronze sculpted group is of high quality, with finely hand-chiseled details in the hairstyle, drapery, and the cherub’s wings. The circular dial is white enamel with black Arabic numerals, minute numeration from 5 to 60, and pierced-brass hands in gilded brass in the Breguet style, enclosed by a beaded brass frame.
The central marble case is enriched with gilded bronze appliques. The shaped base features a central bas-relief frieze with a scene of putti among the clouds and musical instruments, flanked by angular floral rosettes. At the feet of the main group lie the mythological attributes of Love: quiver, arrows, and torch. The piece rests on four turned gilded-bronze feet.
The movement is mechanical wind-up with striking, of French manufacture for the period (Japy Frères or S. Marti).
Mantel clock in good overall condition, with original gilding and natural patina of time. A collectible piece from the second half of the 19th century, from an Italian private collection.