Three Graces Shelf Clock

White marble casing and figures. Three figures represent the Three Graces. The rightmost figure's hand points to dial and acts as the clock hand.
The theme of the Three Graces (Aglae the Brilliant, Thalia the Verdant, and Euphrosyne the Inner Joy) was often used by French clockmakers during the late 18th century. One hundred years later, during the late 19th century, the Louis XVI style was again popular and several of the Three Graces Clocks were produced which copied the original forms. This particular clock copies a piece made by Falconet, c. 1780, and now in the collection of the Louvre. When the original was ehxhibited in the Double Collection in 1890, a reviewer for the Jewelers' Circular and Horolgical review refused to describe the piece in detail because "the figures were too realistic." In his opinion, allegorical figures should always be given a more "unearthly" quality. An 8-day brass round plate movement sits inside the urn. The silvered bands revolve to indicate the hours and minutes. The hour and half hour are signaled on bells.