Bronze and Gilt 19th C. Pocket Watch Holder

Description

Nineteenth century French Style Gilt and Patinated Bronze Watch Holder featuring Gilded Couple in a Forest Setting.

Beautifully detailed “porte … more Nineteenth century French Style Gilt and Patinated Bronze Watch Holder featuring Gilded Couple in a Forest Setting.

Beautifully detailed “porte montre” featuring two figures in a forest landscape with grasses and flowers. A carved bronze tree surrounds and supports the couple, with the shaped section that holds the clock emerging above, like a bower, from the tree’s branches. The bronze carving is excellent, with buds visible on the reeds, and daisy like flowers and mosses scattered in the foreground.

The couple are costumed in 18th century style dress. The woman is in a detailed shepherdess type dress with an apron, jewelry, a period hair-do and a decorative bonnet. The man has a military uniform with emblems, buttons, a sword and a hat suggestive of the French army. Details include: shoe buckles, high boots, and the handle of the sword. Even the leaves on the clock-holder/bower are beautifully carved, along with the bark on the back of the supporting tree.

The carved bronze base of the piece is rectangular. On the bottom there are two small nails that may have been meant to secure the piece onto another base; one is felted.

This sophisticated piece was clearly meant to display an important time piece. The pocket watch was inserted from the back of the stand. It will hold a medium to large sized pocket watch.

Dimensions: height is 7.5 in; width at widest point of the watch holder is 3.5 in; the height of the gilded couple (the man) is 4 in; the depth of the base is 2 in; and the width of the base is 4.25 in. less