A French Louis XV style ormolu and porcelain mantel clock Raingo Freres, Paris, third quarter of the 19th century The eight-day countwheel bell striking movement with anchor escapement regulated by disc bob pendulum with Brocot type suspension, the backplate stamped with RAINGO FRERES, Paris roundel to centre and numbers 563, 7 and 6 , the circular white enamel Roman numeral dial repeat signed RAINGO A PARIS to lower margin and with blued steel trefoil hands within milled gilt bezel, the waisted elaborate rococo scroll cast case with foliate spray surmount and unusual polychrome porcelain flowerhead and gilt leafy tendril applied decoration draped around the sculpted dial surround over diamond hatched panel enveloped with further floral sprays, the sides with further diamond hatched infill over scalloped shell lower margins, on leaf cast and chased scroll supports issuing further flowering foliage, the whole applied to an integral rococo scroll cast stand incorporating generous outswept curled feet; with further ebonised wood stand to take the glass dome cover, the clock 37cm (14.5ins) high; 44cm (17.25ins) overall including dome. The firm of Raingo Freres was founded in 1813 by the Belgian Zacharie Joseph Raingo. He was born in 1775, lived in Tournai and worked in Ghent before moving to Paris in 1813. By 1834 the company was being run by his four sons who received an honorable mention in an exhibition in Paris that year. While the Raingo brothers were first recognized as clockmakers, in 1841 they added bronzes and furnishings to their products. Known for the quality of their ormolu (gold plating), by 1860, Raingo Freres had supplied clocks, bronzes to Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenia, examples of which are now in the collection of The Louvre. In 1862 the company exhibited at the International Exhibition in London followed by the world exhibitions of 1867, 1878 and 1889 where several medals were awarded including a gold medal in 1898.