Lyre Clocks

Movement & mechanism

• Spring-driven going-barrel movement, typical of French mantel clock practice of the period
• Short bob pendulum mounted centrally within the lyre-shaped case so that its swing is visible through the case's open strung section
• Striking, where fitted, usually on a bell via a count-wheel or rack system

Identification

• Case cast or built in the form of a classical lyre, with a visible pendulum swinging in place of, or alongside, the instrument's strings, is the defining feature
• Gilt-bronze (ormolu) or patinated bronze casework typical of French Empire and Restoration decorative taste
• Dial usually set within the lyre's body, at the position of the sounding board

Terminology

• Pendule lyre — the French term for this case type
• Ormolu — gilded bronze, the case material typical of higher-grade examples of this form

Known variations

• Gilt-bronze (ormolu) lyre clocks
• Patinated bronze lyre clocks
• Lyre clocks combined with a garniture of matching candelabra

Collecting notes

Lyre clocks are collected within the broader French Empire and Restoration mantel-clock field; the visible pendulum and open casework make gilding wear and mechanical originality of the pendulum suspension particularly significant to condition assessment.

Sources & references

1. Britten, F. J., Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.