Posted 4 years ago
Tfish
(22 items)
Saw it and had to have it.Would like to know who the man is.Clock works perfect and I'm glad I found it.
Ansonia Mantel Clock | ||
Ansonia Clocks48 of 181 | ![]() | ![]() |
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Posted 4 years ago
Tfish
(22 items)
Saw it and had to have it.Would like to know who the man is.Clock works perfect and I'm glad I found it.
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Hi,
Not sure how I missed your post. Your Ansonia Figure Clock is called "Faust" and is from circa 1894.
Looks like it has been refinished or painted at some point in time. If the hands are still in the original finish, it may have been what they called "Japanese Bronze". The other original finish option was Silver. The Japanese Bronze finish clock listed for $60. (Silver $66).
It was/is a nice clock. Not too common. When adjusted for inflation it sold for the equivalent of a whopping $1,813 in 2020 dollars! No wonder it is not commonly seen. I don't know that I could call it rare, but I've not seen a real example of the model before.
I found one example online which sold in May of 2009 for $2,200. Here is a link:
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6371125_164a-ansonia-faust-statue-clock
Prices for antique mechanical clocks depreciated with the 2008 recession and have never fully recovered, but rare or uncommon clocks still retain high value with serious collectors.
The paint would probably decrease the value of the clock in some collectors' opinions, but it looks like it was done carefully and paint can generally be carefully stripped if desired. The example I linked to above appears to have the original Japanese Bronze finish, and was reportedly in good condition.
Both your clock and the other example are missing the Flower or (Flowers) which Faust held in his left hand.
The flower/flower bunch probably just sat loosely in Faust's hand. A lot can happen in 120+ years.
Hope that helps a little.
Thanks for sharing your clock with us.
Bruce
Flowers were never meant to last last very long anyway. :)
The flowers are there just hard to see.
Really? You have much better eyesight than I do, but I'm getting old.
We are all getting old.lol
Day by day, this is very true. In any case, I'm glad that I was able to find your Ansonia in my references. It's a nice looking clock with a great clock "tower".
Regards,
Bruce
Ah! I see you've made it much easier to see the Flower. Excellent! Thank you. :)
I knew he was faust from the story of Marguerite since I owned a large bronze version of the statue. He was never meant to hold a "flower bunch" but rather only one flower. There is a similar marble statue of him and Marguerite together - always she is holding the flower " he loves me, he loves me not " as she is debating. she is pulling petals or leaves of the flower. The one statue of Marguerite was done by Guadez and she holds the one flower and in her other hand the one petal she has plucked in the other. I picked this one by Guadez because she was looking down and he was a famed genius at carving peoples eyes, particularly when they look down !~
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/228938-marguerite-by-adrien--etienne-gaudez
This is one statue but he made multiples which I have all owned including the marble and alabaster large model of the 2 together. The 1859 opera was one of the biggest shows of the time.