Louis XVI Mantel Clock, Signed Schmit à Paris

A rare Louis XVI-period gilt-bronze mantel clock, supported by four scrolled brackets resting on a fluted base.
The top is crowned by an antique-style incense burner, topped with a bouquet of flowers, grapes, and vine leaves.
The dial, signed "Schmit à Paris," is flanked by mounts featuring lion muzzles holding drapery—a decorative motif that is repeated on the base and the antique-style vase.
The finely pierced hands indicate the minutes in Arabic numerals and the hours in Roman numerals.
The movement, fully serviced by our horologist, is in perfect working order. It features a silk-thread suspension and strikes the hours and half-hours.

The clockmaker Jean-Nicolas Schmit was one of the most prominent Parisian horologists of the late 18th century. He was admitted as a master clockmaker in August 1781 and established his workshop on Rue Béthisy. The high quality of his movements led him to become the primary supplier for the Duc d’Angoulême’s manufactory—Dihl et Guérhard—providing the mechanisms for most of the clocks produced by the firm.

Dimensions: H. 42 cm x W. 25 cm x D. 14.5 cm

Parisian craftsmanship
High-quality bronze gilding
Signed "Schmit à Paris" (Jean-Nicolas Schmit, admitted as master clockmaker in August 1781)
Late 18th century