Antique Porcelain Mantel Clock Cobalt Blue Porcelain Joan of Arc Portrait Gilt

Antique Cobalt Blue Porcelain Mantel Clock — Joan of Arc Portrait Medallion

A striking cobalt-glazed porcelain mantel clock case in the Royal Vienna / Royal Bonn taste. The arched, scroll-crested case is flanked by fluted Ionic columns, decorated throughout with gilt floral sprays and gilt-accented relief. Below the dial sits a hand-coloured transfer portrait medallion depicting an armoured female figure with a banner — traditionally identified as Joan of Arc at the coronation of Charles VII — against a fleur-de-lys ground.

The dial is a paper-on-metal type with bold Arabic numerals, ornate gilt centre boss, and brass bezel. The rear plate is marked with the usual FAST / SLOW and HANDS regulation arrows.

Approximate size: roughly 9.5” wide × 8.5” high × 4” deep (24 × 21 × 10 cm). Please confirm against the tape-measure photos.

Provenance note (as found)

An old handwritten paper label remains taped to the reverse. It reads, in part, that the clock was purchased from a Mrs. Blodwin Williams at her cottage on the Welsh border, and describes the case as English semi-porcelain dated to circa 1850–1860. The note is signed but the signature is only partly legible. This label is offered exactly as found and is not a guarantee of age, maker, or origin — I have not independently verified any of it, and I am passing it along because collectors like having the paper trail.

Collector’s note

Cobalt-ground porcelain clock cases of this type, with gilt stencil decoration and a transfer portrait cartouche, were produced in quantity in England and on the Continent from roughly the 1890s through the early 1900s. The paper dial and the FAST/SLOW-marked plate movement are consistent with that later period rather than the mid-19th-century date suggested on the label. There is no visible factory backstamp under the glaze. I am selling it unattributed and priced accordingly — bid on what you see in the photos, not on a maker’s name.

CONDITION — PLEASE READ

Sold AS-IS, FOR PARTS / REPAIR OR DECORATIVE USE ONLY.

• Movement is non-functional. It does not run, does not hold time, and has not been serviced. Assume it needs a full overhaul or replacement. I am not a clockmaker and make no representation that it can be brought back to running order.

• Crazing: the glaze shows extensive crazing and staining throughout, typical and expected in porcelain of this age. This is not considered damage in antique porcelain and is not grounds for return.

• Gilt loss, rubbing, and thinning to the highlights, columns, and floral sprays.

• Surface scratches, glaze nicks, and areas of glaze wear — several shown in the close-up photos.

• Please examine the detail photos carefully for possible hairlines and firing/glaze flaws. Given the density of the crazing, I cannot rule out hairline cracks in the body.

• Dial paper is toned and age-darkened. Bezel glass and hands present as shown.

• Unglazed rim to the rear aperture; interior as photographed.

• Not tested for water resistance, obviously — and please don’t put a plant in it.

Photos form part of the description. Buy it as a decorative statement piece, a case for a replacement movement, or a restoration project. No returns for crazing, gilt wear, or the non-running movement, as all three are disclosed above.

Smoke-free home. Carefully packed and fully insured.