Régence Period Mantel Clock

Marquetry adorns this clock, but distinct from the widely popular Boulle style of the late 17th century. This is contre-partie marquetry—the “reverse process.” With Boulle marquetry, the artist inlays brass and pewter or tin into tortoiseshell veneer. Here, the opposite happens: a sheet of brass is cut out in intricate designs and laid on top of the tortoiseshell. Details are often filled in with dyed ivory or mother-of-pearl, as seen here. Brass sculptural elements further adorn this clock. An angel surmounts the case, and Phaeton and his flying chariot from Greek mythology teeter perilously below the dial plate.

Little is known about the clockmaker Edme Baillos.