A late Louis XV gilt bronze cartel clock

A late Louis XV gilt bronze cartel clock, the dial signed Ransonet a Nancy
circa 1765-1770

Michel Joseph Ransonet (1705-1778)

Height: 21 cm. (8 ¼ in.)     Width: 30.5 cm. (12 in.)     Depth: 8 cm. (3 ¼ in.)

The silvered and engraved brass dial bearing the signature, with Arabic numerals indicating the minutes in the outer circumference with a large hand. The moving inner disc indicates the ages and phases of the moon with a fixed point. Below this two subsidiary dials indicate on the right the hours in Arabic numerals and on the left the signs of the zodiac with small hands. All hands are blued steel. The round movement with a circular balance, flat hairspring, and large-wheel cylinder escapement is visible on the back plate.

Provenance

Madame Bert