4193 -
French fireplace clocks
Style:
19. century
Classicism
Neoclassicism
Daily movement - they are wound with a key every day.
Half-beating (1/2) - bell-beating, strikes every 30 minutes.
Enamel dial.
Fire-gilded brass.
The designation "fire-gilded" means a very specific and historically valuable surface treatment technique that was popular in the Baroque and Rococo periods (especially in French and Prague clocks).
Value and durability Fire-gilding is considered the highest quality and most durable historical technique for gilding metals. Gold is connected to the metal by diffusion (penetration), not just mechanically (as in galvanic gilding). Clocks with this treatment are therefore very valuable. For antique clocks (from the 18th and early 19th centuries), it is a confirmation of their historical authenticity and luxurious design.