With their vertical form evoking a cathedral façade and the similarity between the dial and a rose window, clocks were extremely popular during these "vacillating and troubadour Middle Ages which flourished around 1825" as Théophile Gautier put it. Sometimes known as "cathedral clocks", they were often designed by anonymous clockmakers, as in the case of the model on display. This gilt bronze clock is in the form of a Gothic church façade flanked by two small columns topped with pinnacles. It is surmounted by a bell-turret and has a rose window in place of a dial; it rests on a stepped rectangular base whose four feet are decorated with Gothic motifs.