Precious Time: The Dancing Putti Clock, 1855

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Playfully elegant, this clock features a case of ormolu and enamel.  The upper part of the case is formed by a globe enameled in blue.  The base is punctuated by statuettes of dancing putti, representing the Seasons in ormolu.  An enamel frieze of putti adds whimsy and color to the base.

Made circa 1855, by France’s celebrated Levy Frères, this clock was bought at the Paris Exhibition of 1855 for £19 4s 0d. The clock speaks to the mid-Nineteenth Century French emergence of a neo-rococo style.  This distinct look featured pronounced curves and a excess of ornament.  However, unlike the true Rococo style, this resurgence was infinitely more symmetrical and composed--losing much of the exuberance and glee of the Eighteenth Century originals.