Juno on Her Chariot Drawn by Peacocks clock

Juno on Her Chariot Drawn by Peacocks clock
Louis-Michel Harel, master clockmaker
Paris, circa 1800
Chased and gilt bronze, enamel face, green antique marble base
Purchase, 1919
© Photo MAD, Paris / Jean Tholance

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At the very end of the 18th century, themes for the decoration of clocks were often found in Greek and Roman history, and the subject here, Juno, daughter of Saturn, god of Time (Chronos in Greek), could not be more fitting. Legend has it that the goddess intervened with Janus, a god associated with the notion of beginning, after whom the first month of the year, January, was named. There are a variety of these so-called “chariot” clocks: Phaeton’s chariot, the chariot of victory, the chariot of the seasons, etc.