Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

Mantel Clock
ca. 1900
Tiffany and Company (1837-present)
USA: New York, New York City; France
Brass, tortoise shell, glass, enamel
overall: 29"h x 9-1/2"w x 5"d
Gift of Mrs. Willis R. Michael
85.108.8a-d

Mantel Clock; a: clock: figure 8 shaped case of red boulle and and gilt dore with molded, kidney shaped door; molding includes flowers, lion, and rams; white enamel dial marked "Tiffany and Company/ New York/ France"; back plate stamped "Tiffany and Company/ 4267 and 133"; brass anchor escapement; hours strike movement; b: finial: non-functional brass armillary sphere finial atop case; c: trunk key; d: pendulum.

By the end of the 1800s, the now well-known firm, Tiffany & Co., was an established, high-end jeweler in New York, selling silverware, jewelry, clocks, and stationery. To serve their European clients and keep abreast of changing fashions, the company maintained a store and buyers in Paris. One of these buyers selected this French clock, richly decorated with tortoiseshell and gilded elements, to be sold under the Tiffany name.