CLOCK ESMERALDA" OR "DANCER WITH TAMBOURINE"

Louis-Philippe period clock in gilded and patinated bronze depicting an oriental woman playing a tambourine. She wears a crown of flowers and fruit, and a rich set of pearls.

Esmeralda, the gypsy with the goat, is the heroine of Victor Hugo's"Notre-Dame de Paris". From the very first appearance of the novel in 1831, Esmeralda - the beautiful woman who dances in the middle of the Court of Miracles, the woman who marries the poet Pierre Gringoire out of compassion, the beauty coveted by the archdeacon of Notre-Dame, Claude Frollo, and the lover who sincerely loves the captain of the archers, Phoebus de Châteaupers - has haunted imaginations.

Here, she is seated on the terminal containing the movement. The patinated bronze dial features 12 individual white enamel cartouches indicating the hours in Roman numerals. This antique clock rests on a base finely chased with ormolu scrolls, a shell and an abundance of foliage. The scrolled feet are linked at the front by two horns of plenty. The movement is marked on the back "A. DEHAIS PARIS" and numbered 128 4 4.

Circa: 1840

Dimensions: W:34cm, D:15cm, H:54cm

Condition report: in very good overall condition, with slight light wear. Very fine quality chasing. The movement has been cleaned, serviced and is in working order.