Vintage French and Swiss Mantel Timepieces Highlight Akiba Antiques’ Upcoming Sale

The Louis XV-style of decorative arts, adopted during the reign of Louis the Beloved, marked the advent of the European Rococo movement. Originating in Paris, the 18th century-style characterized elegance, lightness, and generous use of interlaced curves and countercurves. A Louis XV patinated and gilt-bronze mantel clock featuring a wild boar is a key highlight of the upcoming auction by Akiba Antiques. Last sold at Christies London in 2019, the French piece depicts a naturalistic cast anatomy upholding a foliate clock case with hinged crystal door. Its white enamel dial has black Roman Numeral numbering and two scrolling hands. Another noteworthy timepiece is a chinoiserie-style black Atmos clock by Jaeger LeCoultre. Invented in 1928 by Swiss engineer Jean-Léon Reutter, the timepiece is a near-perpetual movement clock that derives energy from changes in atmospheric pressure and requires no human intervention. 

A black lacquer document box belonging to the Yuan/Ming era is an interesting Chinese lot. With characters inscribed in red on the inner side of the base and lid, the box is adorned with tixi grooves throughout its outer casing. In Chinese, tixi means carvings resembling the rhino horn. To view the complete catalog and register to bid online, visit Akiba Antiques.