HANNIBAL BARCA ORMOLU BRONZE CLOCK. FRANCE, 19TH CENTURY.
Antiques - Miscellaneus / Clocks
Reference: ZF1230
Table clock, Hannibal Barca. Ormolu bronze, metal. France, 19th century. Table clock with Paris movement and a case made of mercury-gilt bronze, featuring a rectangular base on four legs (the front ones decorated with scrolls and ending in claws), decorated with a series of relief moldings depicting plant and architectural elements. The metallic dial (with Roman numerals for the hours) sits within a square shape, on which sits the male figure that decorates the piece. A bearded man, dressed in armor (a loriga or muscled breastplate) and a cape secured over one shoulder with a fibula, rests his left arm on his helmet, holding a rolled-up document, and with his left hand he holds a Roman standard (another appears broken under his foot). Note, to the right and next to a sword, a vase filled with rings. Hannibal Barca (247-183 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman best known for his clashes with the Ancient Roman Empire. He was often depicted counting the rings of fallen Roman knights at the Battle of Cannae (216 BC), as can be seen in the sculpture by Sébastien Slodtz (made in 1704, Louvre Museum, Paris), where he also carries a Roman standard. He is also shown with these two elements (vase with rings and standard) in a table clock in the Cagny Museum in Paris, made during the French Restoration. Another piece, in a private collection, inspired by this clock is known, designed after models by Peirra-Francois Feuchère. These two models would surely have served as inspiration for the present table clock. Weight: 25 kg.
· Size: 53,5x20x76 cms.
9.500 €
