Antique French Empire ormolu clock in romantic "Genre" form as a "return to nature". The clock is in the form of a chicken coup with the fire gilt ormolu bronze cast in rustic style with planked wood with cast bolts inset, tree trunks as corner posts and a thatched roof. The chicken coup has a small front door and two doves sit just above and to each side of the clock dial. A woman wearing a peasants headscarf but in classical or "Empire" dress of some quality so that there is no mistaking her position as an aristocrat or leading bourgoisie is kneeling and feeding the chickens grain from a golden bowl. There is a pile of grain already on the base from which the four well modelled chicken are pecking. Around the other side of the chicken coup is the figure of Cupid who is peering around the side towards the woman. He has an arrow in his hand hidden behind his back and a finger either pointing at the woman or as a sign to keep quiet. The woman is clearly his target and one can easily guess that this clock could have been a present on the engagement of a young couple. The clock is signed by the very well known early 19th century clockmaker Chopin. The ormolu base with canted corners, four paw feet terminating in palmettes and applied ormolu mounts of reclining goats seperated by a ribboned wreath of grapes and vine leaves. The dial is surrounded by a fine ormolu bezel decorated with concentric circles of beading and amthemion. The dial is of white convex enamel with Roman hour numerals and Arabic quarter hour markers. The clock is signed Chopin a Paris and has fine gilt bronze hands. The movement is of 8 day duration and is regulated by a silk suspended pendulum and strikes the hours and halves on a bell by means of a countwheel. Chopin is known to have been working at the Rue aux Ours in Paris from 1806. He tended to make rather more interesting decorative clocks and many genre clocks, I have had several "La Ruche" clocks by him over the years. Circa 1805-10. 16 inches high by 13 inches wide by 6 inches deep ( 40 cms by 32.5 cms by 15 cms).