Desk Clock Antique Gilt Bronze Miniature Memento Mori Skull Doctor’s c1879 RARE

I am pleased to offer from my private collection this striking and rare 19th-century French memento mori desk clock, crafted in ornate gilt bronze. This dramatic piece was likely designed for a physician’s desk, combining both symbolism and function in a deeply meaningful way. The clock is hinged and opens to reveal detailed, sculptural motifs—each a reminder of life’s impermanence and the solemn duties of the medical profession. Design Highlights: • Memento Mori Theme: Dominated by a finely cast skull and serpent—classical symbols of mortality and wisdom. A second skull, encircled with the Latin inscription “Memento Mori”, reinforces the reminder to reflect on the inevitability of death. • Symbolism: The serpent, often associated with Asclepius (the ancient god of medicine), and the skull, symbolize the duality of healing and mortality. • Hippocratic Oath Inscription: The interior panel is engraved with an excerpt from the Hippocratic Oath, emphasizing the sacred responsibility of the physician. It includes the inscription “Paris 1879”, likely marking the date and place of its creation or presentation. Clock Features: • Movement: Manual wind (clock movement encased, movement type unverified) • Dial: White enamel with Roman numerals and blued steel hands • Material: Gilt bronze • Origin: France • Date: Circa 1879 • Style: Neo-Gothic / Romanticism with Baroque Revival influences Dimensions: [Optional: Insert dimensions if available] Condition: Very good antique condition. Gilding is well preserved with some light age-related wear. Hinges function properly; engraving and detailing remain sharp and legible. Clock movement appears intact but has not been tested for timekeeping. Remarks: An exceptional piece of symbolic horology and 19th-century medical history. Likely a presentation gift to a physician, this rare artifact bridges the worlds of art, mortality, and science. A remarkable display item for collectors of medical antiques, Gothic decor, or philosophical curiosities. All the parts original. 8cm high,12cm width when unfold.

There was a tradition to award such clocks to the young Doctors just after graduating the medicine academy.

PERFECT WORKING ORDER(do not expect a quartz accuracy from 150 years old verge fusee movement)

It comes with a matching key.  

The clock is  a link to the tradition of the memento mori – an object designed to remind us that life is brief and that we should seize the moment while we are here. It comes with AN APPRAISAL CERTIFICATE FOR $4500