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A BELGIAN ORMOLU AND BLACK MARBLE STRIKING, ASTRONOMICAL AND WORLD TIME SKELETON CLOCK

ATTRIBUTED TO HUBERT SARTON, LIÈGE. CIRCA 1805

Details

A BELGIAN ORMOLU AND BLACK MARBLE STRIKING, ASTRONOMICAL AND WORLD TIME SKELETON CLOCK
ATTRIBUTED TO HUBERT SARTON, LIÈGE. CIRCA 1805
CASE: triangular plates joined by four pillars, raised on tapering pillars above a D-ended marble plinth, on toupie feet MAIN DIAL: white enamel with ormolu bezel, central subsidiary rings for date (also with 30 day Republican calendar inner ring), month (also with Republican months) and days of the week, cut brass main hands (minute replaced) and blued steel calendrical hands, sweep seconds LEFT DIAL: enamel lunar dial with rolling moon, painted en grisaille against a blue ground with gilt stars, outer border showing moon's age RIGHT DIAL: enamel solar dial indicating times of sunrise and sunset via engraved gilt-brass sun pointer and corresponding brass shutters TOP DIAL: enamel world time dial with outer ring showing 53 locations around the world, with revolving twenty-four hour night and day (bi-colour) ring to its centre MOVEMENT: twin going barrels, dead beat pinwheel escapement now with spring suspension, countwheel strike on top-mounted bell; Sarton-type gridiron pendulum swinging within a brass guard
22 3/8 in. (56.5 cm.) high; 12¾ in. (32.5 cm.) in. wide; 5¾ in. (14.5 cm.) deep

Provenance

Sotheby's Monaco, 19 June 1992, lot 789, where acquired by the present owner (FF. 466,200 $93,387).

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 17.5% on the buyer's premium.

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Lot Essay

Hubert Sarton (1748-1828) was Belgium's greatest clockmaker and is renowned for his fine multi-dial skeleton clocks. Born in Liège, he was apprenticed to his uncle, Dieudonné Sarton, in 1762 and by 1768 was working at Pierre Leroy's workshop in Paris. In 1772 Sarton was appointed Court Mechanic to Duke Charles Alexander, Prince of Lorraine. He was commissioned to make several clocks for the Duke, including a superb example with moving dial (sold Christie's London, The Albert Odmark Collection 11 March 2005, lot 375, £114,000). A world time skeleton clock of very closely related design and signed Sarton was sold Christie's London, 12 July 1995, lot 336 (£78,500) and is also illustrated in Derek Roberts, Continental and American Skeleton Clocks, Schiffer, 1989, p.178.

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