Clock with a figure of Plato
no 525
Description
A fireplace clock with a figure of Plato, placed on a rectangular base decorated at the bottom with a gilded bronze application in the form of plant twigs. Above, a pedestal made of black marble surrounded on three sides by a gilded strip and a subtle application on the front, also gilded. At the top is the figure of Plato sitting on a rock fragment with a laurel wreath on his head. In his right hand he holds a stylus with which he wrote on a tablet the maxim “Oui l’âme est immortelle”. Below is a clock with a round, glass-closed dial, with blackened hands and an Arabic division of hours. Spring-loaded mechanism with hour and half-hour striking system, original key included.
Gilded and patinated bronze, marble, mechanism signed S.Marti et Cie,
France second half 19th century
Samuel Marti was born on September 20, 1811 in Langentahal in the canton of Berne. In 1830, he settled in Montbéliard in eastern France, where in 1832, together with two partners, he founded a factory producing pendulum clocks. From 1841 he was the sole owner of S. Marti & Cie. Marti’s factory won a number of gold, silver and bronze medals at exhibitions in Paris. In 1863, it initiated cooperation in the field of distribution with well-known clock manufacturers Japy Freres & Cie and A. Roux & Cie.
Size
61 x 45 x 18 cm
Price
8500 zł