Lot 16
16
Francis Perigal, London A George III ormolu musical quarter striking automaton table clock. Circa 1790
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more
Francis Perigal, London A George III ormolu musical quarter striking automaton table clock. Circa 1790

Details
Francis Perigal, London

A George III ormolu musical quarter striking automaton table clock. Circa 1790
The case surmounted by a pagoda on cluster columns each supporting a foliate cast flambeau urn finial, the ormolu jacquemart character within the pagoda lowering and raising a placard on each quarter strike, the placard engraved with Chinese characters broadly translated to mean May you have five sons who pass sufficient exams and become high officers in Govenment, the serpentine sides with foliate cast sound frets flanked by foliate caryatids angle mounts depicting characters with plumed hats, foliate C-scroll feet, foliate cast glazed gilt-metal bezel to the dial signed Perigal Royal Exchange, London on the white enamel Roman and Arabic chapter disc with pierced ormolu hour and minute hands and counter-balanced sweep centre seconds, within a silver mask engraved with flowers and dragons enamelled in vivid blue and green, subsidiary white enamel dials below for chime/not chime and four tunes selection DANCE; GIG; MINUET; MARCH, the arch with a painted scene in the foreground with ships passing in the background against a glass-rod automaton waterfall, the five pillar triple chain fusee movement with knife-edge verge escapement, playing music on eight bells via ten hammers and 3 in. long pin barrel, hour strike on a further bell, the ting-tang quarters being struck on the hour bell and a further smaller bell, the backplate profusely engraved with scrolling foliage centered with a basket of flowers and signed Frans. Perigal Royal Exchange, London
24 in. (61 cm.) high
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

Francis Perigal is listed as being made a Freeman of the Clockmakers' Company in 1770 and Master in 1806. He was clockmaker to the King and considered a fine clock maker who specialised in making musical automaton clocks for the Turkish and Chinese markets. He died in 1824.

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