Monumental Japy Frères ormolu Chinoiserie clock (c. 1870 and porcelain, c. 1800) 

A rare and impressive monumental French clock, made by Japy Frères — a nineteenth-century Paris firm that was among the most awarded and lauded in Europe, with similar pieces found in the British Museum (London), Huntington Library (Pasadena), Victoria & Albert Museum (London), and Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris). The clock combine a dizzying array of techniques and materials: a porcelain blonde du chine sculpture (center) made in China during the last quarter of the eighteenth century, porcelain flowers mounted to intricately woven gilt bronze in the form of leaves, grapes, and vinery. Among the leaves are gilt bronze sculptures of birds, with the entire clock sitting on the backs of four large bronze and silvered bactrian camels.  

39 X 24 1/2 X 14 in.