This antique clock occupies a worthy place in the display dedicated to the merchant of the 1st guild Semyon Andreyevich Chirkov. He was the owner of a tea factory in the Chinese city of Hankou and a true connoisseur of art, as well as a philanthropist and a true patriot of his native town. During the heyday of his trading career, there was not a single institution in the entire district that Semyon Chirkov would not provide assistance to, be it an almshouse, an orphanage, or a transit Siberian prison. He helped restore fire-damaged houses, supported the residents financially, and built two schools — one of them for boys only. Chirkov and his wife Yelizaveta Nikolayevna were trustees of educational institutions in the Turinsk district, and for that people admired and respected him. He was even awarded the Honorary Citizen badge. The wealthy merchant spent his time going on trips abroad with his wife, and each time he purchased some unusual souvenirs. The Chirkov couple made a few trips to Paris, and the clock on display might have been brought from one of them.

The skillfully made item reveals the craftsmen’s painstaking work with its every detail: the snow-white marble base on ornately carved legs is decorated with a bronze frame and a gilded plate featuring a motif of frolicking cherubim inspired by Roman mythology. The base is flanked by two small pedestals, each supporting two columns of black marble with gilded bronze elements. The columns are crowned with marble platforms with black bronze lions, one of them leans on a shield, and the other has a helmet under its paw. Between the lions, there is a securely fixed convex enameled dial with a bronze framing, elegantly embossed with a garland pattern of flowers and fruit. The openwork bronze arrows are ornately shaped. The clock has Arabic numerals, and its slight bell ringing marks the passing of every half an hour. The dial has two inscriptions — the maker’s signature “Guydamour” and “Paris”. There are two clockwork mechanisms with the chimes on the left side and the movement on the right one. There is a hole near numeral 12 for adjusting the pendulum and setting the correct time. In the center, the openwork bronze pendulum stylized as Aurora, the goddess of dawn, is fixed behind the clock mechanism. The portico composition is crowned with a gilded eagle with raised wings — a symbol of strength and power. The framework and decorative elements were inspired by Roman mythology and served to designate the power, prowess, and influence of the commissioner.