262.          $250

Honoré Pons gilded figural, ca. 1840.  Honoré Pons (1773-1851) was a highly regarded clockmaker in Paris in the first half of the nineteenth century, with many of his clocks on display in French museums.  I am not sure who is depicted on this 21.5-inch tall by 16-inch-wide gilded figural, and there are few clues: his arm rests on a book, he holds something like a sea shell in his left hand, and there is a pot of some sort on his right that appears to be missing two upright pieces.  There are two cherubs on either side of the clock dial, which is porcelain with some cracks and hairlines evident, proper hands, and a retailer’s name and location that I cannot read.  The gilding remains strong over this piece.  The 8-day pendule de Paris movement is marked “Pons Brevete” (patented); it has a silk thread suspension for the pendulum, which is missing.  I believe the clock will need service, as well as a pendulum, to run.  Schmidt’s Antiques sold a similar example in 2024 for $550.  $250–$500.