Italian Sterling Silver-Fronted Desk Clock | Art Nouveau-Style Relief Maidens | Moon-Phase Dial | Late 20th Century

Italian Sterling Silver-Fronted Desk Clock | Art Nouveau-Style Relief Maidens | Moon-Phase Dial | Late 20th Century

Two maidens in a flowering garden, and the time in the middle.

The sterling silver front of this Italian desk clock is worked in the Art Nouveau revival style, with flowing foliage and figural relief around the dial. Italian silversmiths made ornamental silver-fronted clocks and photograph frames throughout the later twentieth century, often drawing on earlier decorative traditions. The front is marked 925, ★665, F1 and G.R. 28. The registration 665 with the Florence province code FI has been associated with the Fani silversmithing business, but the attribution of this clock is unconfirmed.

The square frame has softly rounded corners. A robed maiden stands along the left side, reaching up towards the flowering branches that run across the top, with a flight of steps beside her. A second maiden sits in the lower right corner, her long drapery flowing along the base. A spray of roses lies below the dial, a single rose on the right edge, and a whiplash scroll in the upper right corner. At the centre is a cream dial with Roman numerals, gilt hands and a blue moon-phase-style window at six o'clock. The clock has a quartz movement powered by one AA battery, reached through a hinged velvet flap at the back. The back and the folding strut stand are covered in green velvet.

The sterling silver front is in very good condition, and the clock is in working order; the moon-phase display has not been confirmed as working. The green velvet back and stand show noticeable wear, with fraying at the edges and corners, areas of surface abrasion and small marks around the fittings. Overall condition is good.

Key Details

• Maker: unidentified (see marks)
• Material: sterling silver front (925); velvet-covered back and strut stand
• Style: Art Nouveau revival, relief decoration of two maidens in a garden
• Movement: quartz (one AA battery); in working order
• Dial: cream, Roman numerals, gilt hands, moon-phase-style window (operation not confirmed)
• Marks: 925; ★665; F1; G.R. 28
• Date: late 20th century
• Weight: 460 g (overall, including movement, backing and stand)
• Condition: good overall; silver front very good; velvet back and stand worn, frayed at the edges and corners, with small marks around the fittings
• Buyer profile: collectors of Italian silver and Art Nouveau-style decoration, desk and dressing-table display, gifts

Collector Appeal

Italian sterling silver, flowing figural decoration and a moon-phase-style dial come together in this clock. Its Art Nouveau revival design carries an earlier ornamental tradition into a late twentieth-century piece, and it suits a desk, a dressing table or a collection of decorative silver.

The roses keep their season, and the moon keeps its own.