French Mantel Clock with Goat and Grapevine
France, early 19th century
Gilt bronze and green marble
23 × 14 × 5 in.
This imaginative mantel clock captures a lively pastoral scene: a goat climbing a grapevine, symbolizing abundance and nature's bounty. The gilt bronze sculpture sits atop a richly veined green marble case, which houses a clock with an enameled dial framed by individual Roman numeral plaques and grape-form bezel. Decorative ormolu mounts along the base continue the vine and grape motif, reinforcing the theme of fruitful harvest.
Grape iconography was widely used in 19th-century France as a symbol of fertility, wine, and Bacchic joy, while the high level of craftsmanship reflects the tastes of the Empire and Restauration periods. Clocks like this were prized not only for their function but for their allegorical storytelling and luxurious materials.
