Hand-Carved Teak Wood Clock Mirror | Gold Griffin and Urn Overmantel Frame

The Story Behind This Mirror

This piece is made by more hands than anything else in the range. It is drawn full-scale first, because the griffins, the urns and the dial all have to hold proportion when seen from below at chimney-breast height - and because the dial aperture has to be cut to the movement, not the other way round, so the clock specification is fixed before the crest is carved.

The griffins go to the figure carvers. Wings, beak and haunches are shaped from the solid, the feathering cut individually, and there is no correcting a wing cut too thin. The urns are turned and then carved, their flowers shaped one at a time. The husk drops down the stiles are carved as graduated runs, each husk slightly smaller than the one above so the drop appears to hang under its own weight. The shelf base is a piece of joinery in its own right, carried on carved brackets that must actually take load rather than merely look as though they do.

Assembly, then hand-sanding, then gold in coats rubbed back at the cornice edges, urn lips and griffin wings. The movement is fitted, regulated and run before the glass goes in.

Factual specification for this hand-carved teak wood clock overmantel mirror:

• Material: Solid teak wood, hand-carved and hand-turned (no veneer, no engineered wood)
• Style: Neoclassical revival overmantel with integrated clock
• Finish: Gold, hand-applied and hand-rubbed; customisable to antique gold, distressed gold, silver or dark wood polish
• Crest detail: Shell and acanthus crest framing a circular dial with Roman numerals; carved flower-filled urns on plinths at both shoulders
• Frame detail: Winged griffins carved at both lower corners, graduated husk drops down the inner stiles, moulded shelf base on carved brackets
• Glass: Shaped stepped-arch mirror plate
• Clock: Dial and movement fitted, regulated and run before dispatch; movement type specified at order, or the design can be made without a clock and a carved cartouche fitted in the crest instead
• Size: Custom sizes made to order - share your chimney breast dimensions and we will quote
• Make: Made to order, handcrafted by master Indian artisans
• Delivery: Pan-India, free shipping

Packaging and Transit Protection

This piece ships as components, and the clock is treated as a separate consignment within the crate. The movement is removed or immobilised, the dial faced with a soft interleaf and rigid board, and the whole clock assembly boxed in its own foam-lined compartment so no vibration reaches it - a movement that travels running arrives out of adjustment. The urn finials, the griffins and any separable carved elements are wrapped individually in high-density foam and taped clear of the gilding, and boxed in their own compartments.

The main frame and the shelf base are sleeved in continuous foam blankets, corner-guarded and blocked into a purpose-built wooden crate with foam on every face. The shaped plate is covered with a shatter-retention film and rigid-board faced. Given the weight, the crate is skidded for forklift handling and marked for orientation, fragility and lifting points. We photograph every component wrapped and the crate sealed before dispatch, and our team assembles the piece and re-regulates the clock at your address.

Shipping and Delivery

This is the most involved piece in the mirror range - figure carving, turning, joinery and a fitted movement - so plan for the longer end of our window and beyond. Typical lead time is 4 to 6 weeks from order confirmation, extending if you enlarge the frame, change the griffin or urn detail, or specify a particular clock movement, since the dial aperture is cut to the movement and that has to be sourced and confirmed before carving begins. The exact timeline is confirmed in writing at order and we share photographs at carving, assembly and finishing stages.

Delivery is free anywhere in India. We arrange transport sized for the crate, and our team handles unloading, assembly, installation and re-regulating the clock at your address rather than leaving you with a crate. Please confirm doorway and stair widths, lift internal size and any service-entry restriction in advance. We advise on structural fixing and clearance above a working fireplace. International orders are quoted case by case.

Craftsmanship Assurance and Care

Our craftsmanship assurance covers the solid teak frame, the figure carving, the joinery and the shelf brackets. If a joint opens, a carved element separates or a bracket fails through a fault in the making - rather than impact, misuse, unsuitable fixing or an attempted self-repair - we repair or replace it. Glass breakage after delivery and water damage sit outside the assurance. The clock movement carries its own manufacturer warranty, which we pass to you with the documentation; movement servicing is a horological matter and is not covered by our carving assurance.

Dust the griffins, urn flowers and husk drops with a clean dry soft brush, and use a soft dry cloth on the cornice, shelf and mouldings. Never use water, chemical polish, alcohol or ammonia cleaners on the gilding or on the dial. Spray glass cleaner onto the cloth, never at the plate or the dial glass. Do not use the shelf to carry weight beyond light decorative objects. If the piece is above a working fireplace, ensure adequate clearance - sustained heat affects a clock movement long before it affects the timber. Mount on a structural wall with professional installation and check the fixings annually.