A rare and unusual French Directoire/ Empire clock depicting Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe". It shows Crusoe wearing goatskin, carrying his rifle and a palm umbrella and having scabbard and pistols in his belt. To his right is a palm tree and a parrot. The silvered dial has blued steel hands. The rectangular base has a fine applied ormolu mount of palms and the clock stands upon four toupee feet. This model stands on a superb satinwood base inset with mother of pearl & contains an early two tune pull wind musical box signed PH Paur ( who was working near Montbelliard) & numbered 1842. The movement of the key wind chain driven fusee timepiece is signed Leroy a Paris and numbered 488 . This particular clock can be dated with certainty to 1809/1810 as some years ago we sold an almost identical model with the musical movement numbered 1902 ( some 60 movements later than this one) and original mainspring dated 1810. At some point in its past the case has been re-gilded. Clock and base 12.5 inches high by 10 inches wide and 6 inches deep ( 31 cms by 25 cms by 15 cms), clock without musical base, 9.75 inches by 6.25 inches by 3 inches ( 24 cms by 15.5 cms by 7.5 cms).