2019 June Meeting

6th June 2019

HOUDIN MYSTERY CLOCKS

Francoise Collanges

For our June lecture we look forward to welcoming Francoise Collanges.

Based in Brussels but also working in the UK and in France, Françoise is a trained horologist, specialising in the conservation and care of historical objects.

In the last few years, Francoise has collected as much information and pictures that she could on Robert-Houdin’s mystery clocks. Her lecture will give some historical backgrounds to Robert-Houdin’s clocks and examine what are their distinctive features, and the issues she has met with them. Her aim is to better understand how they were made, by whom, and how well they are meant to perform. Francoise looks forward to discussing with our members the experiences they have had with such clocks.

Trained in some of the best schools in conservation in Europe (Paris-Sorbonne in France, West Dean College in the UK), she embraces the ethics defined by the leading national and international institutions in the field of conservation (see ECCO guidelines) and provides the highest standards of work. She is a member of the Institute of Conservator-restorers in Ireland (ICRI) and of Icon (UK).

A member of the AHS council Françoise trained for two years at West Dean College (UK) in the conservation of clocks and obtained a MA in Conservation Studies, before settling as a free-lance conservator.

This is one lecture not to be missed!