Lot Essay
There are a relatively small number of examples of French carriage clock movements being cased by English retailers, of which this is a good example. They were probably produced for clients who wanted the benefits of high quality English cases but without the technicalities of English movements (lot 124 in the present sale is a notable exception). James McCabe is regarded as one of the most successful, and prolific, English clockmakers of the 19th century and the present case with its distinctive handle is typical of his work. See Derek Roberts (op. cit.) pp.289-302 for similar examples. See footnotes to lots 20, 63 and 71 regarding Joseph Soldano.