"Urania, the muse of Astronomy" gilt bronze clock, Paris

Allegorical clock representing Urania, the muse of the astronomy. She holds the celestial globe and a scientific instrument which are her attributes since antiquity. She is looking up to the sky, on her left books represent encyclopedial knowledge. Elegancy of the draped dress. The base shows parchments, a binocular, and a ring with the zodiac signs. Beautiful dial with a star. The clock is entirely in gilt bronze. Silk string movement. The clock has been professionally cleaned and revised.

Size: H 57cm x W 40cm x D 13cm

French school of the Charles X period, circa 1830.

Lit: In Greek mythology, Urania (??????? / Ourania) is one of the nine Muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (the goddess of Memory). She is the Muse of Astronomy and the celestial sciences. Her name literally means “the Celestial One,” derived from Ouranos (the Sky). She is generally depicted holding a terrestrial or celestial globe and a compass, her eyes raised toward the stars. Beyond astronomy in the strict sense, Urania also presided over the contemplation of the heavens and, by extension, over philosophy and the sciences of the universe. Some poets, such as Virgil, invoked her in their cosmological works. Her name was subsequently given to numerous scientific and cultural entities: the planet Uranus, several craters, observatories, as well as a variety of minerals.