RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market

RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock

$12,550.00
$12,550.00
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RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
  • RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock - The misfit market
RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock

RARE Museum Quality Memento Mori Ormolu Gilt Bronze Skull Skeleton Desk Clock

$12,550.00
$12,550.00

An Exquisite 18th-Century Memento Mori Masterpiece

Presented for the discerning collector is an exceptionally rare, museum-quality antique Memento Mori desk clock, circa the 1780s. Masterfully cast in solid bronze and finished in brilliant 18K ormolu gilding, this piece is a profound meditation on mortality and time — and one of the finest surviving examples of its kind.

The sculpture features a meticulously detailed, crowned skeleton seated atop a large, hinged human skull, caught in a philosophical pose while gazing into a smaller skull held in its skeletal hands. The crown is a classic Danse Macabre motif, signifying that death is the great equalizer — coming for kings and commoners alike. When the top of the large foundational skull is tilted back, it reveals a breathtaking verge fusée clock movement: a secret reminder that time is fleeting.

The Clock & Movement

The clock is signed by the esteemed makers Borel à Hambourg on the pristine white enamel dial, which features elegant Roman numerals for the hours, outer Arabic numeral markers for the quarters (15, 30, 45, 60), and finely pierced gilt hands.

The gilt full-plate verge fusée movement is a work of art in itself. Signed "Borel & Rojard Fils," it boasts a spectacularly pierced and engraved continental balance bridge, intricately chased with scrollwork, alongside a silvered regulator disk and classic square pillars.

Condition Report

  • Overall condition: Exceptional. Extraordinarily well-preserved for an artifact of over 240 years of age.
  • Ormolu / gilt: The 18K fire-gilding remains incredibly vibrant and rich, highlighting the masterful chasing and anatomical detail of the skeleton and skulls.
  • Dial: The enamel dial is in excellent antique condition with no severe hairlines or chips.
  • Movement: The verge fusée movement is visually stunning and intact.
  • Hinge: The skull casing opens and closes smoothly and securely.
  • Base: Presented on a polished black hardstone/marble plinth.

Measurements & Specifications

  • Total height: 16 cm (approx. 6.3 inches)
  • Theme: Memento Mori / Vanitas
  • Material: 18K gilt bronze (ormolu), enamel, brass, hardstone
  • Movement type: Antique verge fusée (key wind)
  • Maker: Borel à Hambourg / Borel & Rojard Fils
  • Era: Late 18th century (c. 1780s)
  • Includes: Winding key + appraisal certificate ($15,000)

Historical Context: The Memento Mori

Translated from Latin as "Remember that you must die," the Memento Mori was a highly prized genre of art and horology from the 16th through the 18th centuries. These objects were not meant to be morbid, but rather philosophical tools for the aristocracy and scholars. By combining the ticking passage of time with the visceral imagery of skulls and skeletons, the owner was constantly reminded to live a virtuous and meaningful life — as earthly time is finite.

To find one executed in such high-grade ormolu, complete with a concealed verge movement by a named maker, is exceedingly rare. This piece belongs in a museum or the collection of a serious horological antiquarian.

Appraisal & Provenance

This piece comes with an appraisal certificate valuing the clock at $15,000.00. It is offered here at $12,550 — a significant opportunity for the serious collector.

Shipping

This museum-grade piece will be meticulously professionally packed with museum-standard materials to ensure safe transit worldwide. Free worldwide shipping via DHL overnight courier.

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