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A Prince's Treasure

120 objects from the Royal Collection return to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton

CHARLES-GUILLAUME MANIÈRE (ACTIVE 1778-1812)

Mantel clock

1765-85

Gilded and chased bronze, polychrome lacquer, enamel | 72.5 x 35.5 x 17.2 cm (whole object) | RCIN 2868

A Louis XVI mantel timepiece in the form of a chinese drummer boy, under a canopy and seated on a tasselled cushion resting on rocks. He holds, in his raised left hand, the clock cylinder in the shape of a drum, suspended from a ribbon. The canopy, which is hung with bells, is crowned by a finial in the form of a fish pierced by an arrow - like a weathervane. The platform supporting the rocky base rests on clustered vertical bamboo columns which spring from a second, larger tasselled rectangular cushion. The present mechanism was installed c.1870 by Charles Frosham & Co. It now comprises an eight day timepiece with a fusee movement and recoil escapement. The enamel face, with the 12 hours represented in Roman figures and the minutes at the quarters in arabic numerals, has a pair of gold shaped pierced hands.

    The income from your ticket contributes directly to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. The aims of The Royal Collection Trust are the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational activities.