Boundary clock in chased bronze with double gold and brown patina, decorated with a young woman, Atala, and the kneeling Indian Chactas, in front of two branches supporting the cylindrical case. Rectangular base decorated with palms supporting a bas-relief depicting Atala's death. Resting on four rectangular feet with crossed flames. Roman numeral hour markers. Mechanical movement with key winding. Early 19th century. 41 x 33 x 11.5 cm. Wear to patina and numerals, oxidation, scratches, decoration to be refixed. At the beginning of the 19th century, many novels offered exotic and romantic subjects - the theme of the Bon Sauvage frequently recurring - for the decor of objets d'art and bronze clocks. The fictional Atala, published in 1801 by François René de Chateaubriand (1768-1848), is a good illustration for this clock. During his trip to the United States in 1791, Chateaubriand met a number of Indian tribes, including the Natchez, an experience that undoubtedly inspired the Romantic Natchez cycle to which Atala is linked.