A French gilt-brass and red griotte marble veneered automaton mantel clock, attributed to André-Romain Guilmet, circa 1890
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 EUR
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Read more.Lot Details
Description
in the form of a waterwheel driven by a separate movement, the case inset with a timepiece flanked by an aneroid barometer and a thermometer
Height 15 3/8 in., width 14 1/8 in. ; Haut. 39 cm, larg. 36 cm
Among the most innovative clockmakers of the late 19th century, two names stand out: Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin and André-Romain Guilmet, notably for the invention of mystery clocks. Capitalizing on the craze for scientific marvels fostered by the World's Fairs, André-Romain Guilmet also produced industrial clocks, such as the present example. The bourgeois clientele of the second half of the 19th century was keen on industrial innovation, and the design of this clock reflects the era's fascination with technical progress and admiration for machine tools.
A similar clock, from the collection of Sir Henry Wellcome, is at the Science Museum, London (inv. 1981-441).
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