Lot Essay
Alexander Straiton is recorded as Free of the Clockmakers' Company in 1823. He died in 1873.
The design of this clock, with its Egyptian herms mounts and pseudo hieroglyphics, follows the fashions of the Regency period. R.C.R Barder (The Georgian Bracket Clock 1714-1830, Woodbridge, 1999 pp. 196-197) suggests the revival of interest in Egypt can be dated back to Napoleon's expedition of 1798, which lead to many publications by scholars, including Dominique-Vivant Denon's Voyage dans la basse et la haute Egypt in 1802. This was published in English the same year. Furniture in the Egyptian style was first illustrated by Sheraton in his Encyclopedia (1804-6) and was popularised by George Smith's book, A collection of Designs for Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (1808).
Barder illustrates a clock by James McCabe of closely related design to the present clock (p. 197, plate VI/30). A very similar clock sold The Ellerslie House Collection, Christie's London, 14 May 2001, lot 65 (£7,637). Another table clock, by Ellicott and Co., in a similar Egyptian revival style, sold The Royal Sun Alliance Collection, Christie's London, 19 May 2005, lot 205.
The design of this clock, with its Egyptian herms mounts and pseudo hieroglyphics, follows the fashions of the Regency period. R.C.R Barder (The Georgian Bracket Clock 1714-1830, Woodbridge, 1999 pp. 196-197) suggests the revival of interest in Egypt can be dated back to Napoleon's expedition of 1798, which lead to many publications by scholars, including Dominique-Vivant Denon's Voyage dans la basse et la haute Egypt in 1802. This was published in English the same year. Furniture in the Egyptian style was first illustrated by Sheraton in his Encyclopedia (1804-6) and was popularised by George Smith's book, A collection of Designs for Household Furniture and Interior Decoration (1808).
Barder illustrates a clock by James McCabe of closely related design to the present clock (p. 197, plate VI/30). A very similar clock sold The Ellerslie House Collection, Christie's London, 14 May 2001, lot 65 (£7,637). Another table clock, by Ellicott and Co., in a similar Egyptian revival style, sold The Royal Sun Alliance Collection, Christie's London, 19 May 2005, lot 205.