Lucien Simonnet – Porcelain Panels

c.1885 French gilt-bronze carriage clock with exceptional porcelain panels signed by Lucien Simonnet.

The gilt-bronze, shaped case has fluted Corinthian columns to the corners, beveled glasses to three sides, porcelain panels and a hinged handle above. The exceptional middle eastern inspired panels are signed ‘L. Simonnet’ and feature beautiful female subjects elaborately decorated in raised gilt-work.

The matching porcelain dial depicts a landscape scene with flying birds, Roman numerals for the hours, Arabic numbers for the alarm, blued steel-cut hands and is embellished with elaborate raised and flat gilt-work.

The eight-day time, strike, hour-repeat and alarm movement has a lever escapement with a silvered platform, all the engraved indications in English, strikes on a gong and is numbered ‘2841’.

Lucien Simonnet (1849-1926) was a Sevres trained painter who supplied porcelain panels to many of the better carriage clock makers

For other examples of carriage clocks with panels by L. Simonnet see: ‘A Century of Fine Carriage Clocks’- Clocks 7, 66 and 68.