112.           $350

Seth Thomas Clock Co. “Empire No. 26 with Lion” crystal regulator,ca. 1913.  The original Medici Lions were a pair of marble lions that stood at the entrance to the Villa Medici in Rome in the late 1500’s.  One dated to the second century A.D., with the second being a copy (pendant).  The symbolism of a lion with its paw on a globe signifies dominance over the world.  These lions can now be seen at the Loggia de Lanzi in Florence; there are copies all over the world, and they are all known as Medici Lions.  In the United States you can find copies at Fairmont Park in Philadelphia, Bowdoin College in Maine, The University of Cincinnati, and, if you attended the Florida Mid-Winter NAWCC Regional in St. Augustine, you might have crossed a bridge with Medici Lions (Bridge of Lions).  You can have your own copy of a Medici Lion if you are the lucky winner of this clock.  It stands 19 inches tall in brass with the original finish.  There are four good, beveled glasses and a one-piece decorated and signed porcelain dial with proper hands.  The 8-day time and half-hour strike movement is running without issue, striking on a cathedral gong.  This is an impressive clock.  One sale at Tom Harris in 2011 for $450.  $350–$450.