Beschreibung:

A LOUIS XVI ORMOLU-MOUNTED MAHOGANY MONTH-GOING REGULATEUR DE PARQUET WITH YEAR CALENDAR AND EQUATION OF TIME
BACHELARD, PARIS. CIRCA 1790
A LOUIS XVI ORMOLU-MOUNTED MAHOGANY MONTH-GOING REGULATEUR DE PARQUET WITH YEAR CALENDAR AND EQUATION OF TIME BACHELARD, PARIS. CIRCA 1790 CASE: detachable pediment with dentil mouldings, glazed rectangular side panels, raised panels to front and sides of plinth, above stepped skirting DIAL: fine enamel chapter ring with skeletonised centre, the outer edge painted with gilt stars against a royal blue ground and with demi-lune reserves painted en grisaille with zodiac symbols on a duck egg blue ground, all within gilt floral borders, white enamel time ring showing the months and the date to the outside, Roman hour chapters and Arabic quarter hours, the centre framed by an ormolu band, blued steel hands for centre seconds, mean time minutes and calendar, pierced and engraved ormolu hands for hours and solar minutes (the latter with sunburst counterpoise); within ormolu bezel and under deep convex glass MOVEMENT: rectangular plates with five rear-pinned pillars, dead beat pinwheel escapement with adjustable steel pallets, fine adjustment to two-piece crutch, powered by a lead weight (with counterweight) going down the backboard behind false rear panel, wound via a steel arbor through the brass movement bracket positioned on the backboard, this also with knife-edge suspension for massive nine-rod tapering gridiron pendulum, its upper bracket signed 'Bachelard à Paris', the mid section bracket applied with white enamel thermometer scale inscribed 'Elementa Suis Propriis Armia Victa' with a blued and polished steel pointer, the brass bob with blued steel pointer swinging against enamel calibrated beat scale with blue border and inner gold floral border, inscribed 'Degrés du Cercle' 84¼ in. (214 cm.) 23½ in. (60 cm.) wide; 12¼ in (30 cm.) deep