French Empire Antique genre clock entitled "The Gardener" in fire/mercury gilt ormolu or bronze dore. This extremely rare model is in excellent condition with the ormolu in almost pristine and mint original condition. This model is the most complete that I have been able to find illustrated in any of the literature. The clock harks back to an idea of the "Return to Nature" or "Pastoral Themes". Marie Antoinette had her model farm with sheep at the Petit Trianon, Empress Josephine had her garden at Malmaison and this is a version from the first decade of the 19th century where there is a lure to the simplicity and harmony of the garden and of gardening. The handsome gardener with a beautiful bucket in one hand and the other on the rope from the well. Over the well a shed housing the clock dial and movement is held up by the garden wall and two live and growing trees. Behind him is the entrance to the garden and in a fine pot is a sunflower complete with individual tiny leaves. All the trees in the garden have leaves on and the tress have grain and knots in their trunks and are very realistically cast and finished. Even the ground he walks on is carefully worked: under the shed and by the well are flagstones, while where he is standing are grasses. The clock stands upon a rectangular base with a central applied mount of baiting swans drinking from a tazza mounted on a plinth. On each side of this mount are further mounts of a flowerpot full of flowers. To each side of the case is a wreath of laurel and forget-me-not flowers. The dial of the clock is of convex white porcelain with beautifully cut and engraved gilt bronze hands. The dial itself is surrounded by a very well cast ormolu bezel with a concentric circle of beading and a lovely outer circle of stiff leaf and bud decoration. The movement of 8 day duration, silk suspension with fine butterfly pendulum bob. The clock strikes the hours and halves on a bell. The dial is signed "Hartmann a Paris" where he is known to have been working at Rue de Vannes in 1800 and Rue Tiquetonne from 1810-30 according to Tardy. France circa 1805-10. A less complete model is illustrated in Kjellberg's " Encyclopedie de La Pendule Francaise" pp432 14.5 inches high by 9.5 inches wide by 3.5 inches deep ( 35 cm by 23.75 cm by 8.75 cm)