in the Neo-Rococo style, of pyramidal form with a wide skirt, all modeled with elaborate gilt foliate scrolls and shells, the skirt with a pastoral scene of a romancing shepherd and shepherdess with two resting sheep, the case enclosing an enameled metal dial with Roman chapters and five minute marks in Arabic numerals, the face inscribed in Cyrillic S. Peterburg,  the apron painted with a brightly-colored bouquet, raised on scroll feet, with blue cypher of Nicholas I

large and impressive, some small wear to areas of gilding, scattered tiny chips to some of the sculpted flowers, one inherent firing flaw (a darkened line) through the scroll-shaped "pool" on top of skirt.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Under Nicholas I, who was an enthusiastic patron of the arts and had a particular interest in the production of his porcelain manufactory, technical and artistic advances of all sorts were encouraged and financially supported. While the monumental pairs of vases are best known, sculptors and modelers also created new and complex forms for chandeliers, torchères, tabletops, and wall and mantel clocks. A large clock with a multifigural vignette such as the offered lot certainly had to have been made after 1836, when technical advances had been made to the recipe of the factory’s mass allowing for such complex sculptural forms. See for comparison, N.B. von Wolf (ed. T.N. Nosovich), Imperatorskii farforovyi zavod, 1744-1904, St. Petersburg, 2003, figs. 274-276, pp. 182-185. We are grateful to Irina Bagdasarova and Ekaterina Khmelnitskaya of the Hermitage for assistance in cataloguing this lot.