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Copper Steam Engine-inspired Timepiece
France Late 19th century
Height 47cm Width 36cm Thickness 19cm
This two-handed mechanical clock is housed on a marble base where two pistons on either side of the piston vat equally cohabit. Alongside the vat are two furnaces, which have unusually, a barometer on the left-hand side and a thermometer on the right-hand side. Fixed on the crest of the timepiece is an imposing working windmill that moves in time with the mechanical device placed inside the furnace chamber and the small gear on top of the piston. When the mechanism is activated, the windmill rotates, which in turn sets the piston in motion. In one take, this very succinctly shows the basic working paradigm of the steam engine.
The words “Made in France” are inscribed on the dial of the barometer, indicating where it was engendered.
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