A REGENCY ORMOLU-MOUNTED BLACK AND WHITE MARBLE MANTLE TIMEPIECE

WEEKS MUSEUM, CIRCA 1820

細節

A REGENCY ORMOLU-MOUNTED BLACK AND WHITE MARBLE MANTLE TIMEPIECE
weeks museum, circa 1820
The white enamel dial with gilt chapters and foliate-cast hour and minute hands, counterpoised blued steel sweep centre seconds hand, signed above VI Weeks Museum, the four pillar fusee movement with Weeks's deadbeat escapement mounted on the backplate with foliate-engraved segmental pendulum, the reeded white marble movement case surmounted by a flambeau finial and flanked by two ormolu seated female figures emblematic of Learning, each with open book engraved Pensae auxilium, the rectangular black marble base with foliate-cast frieze mount and on gadrooned toupie feet; with purpose made ebonized and black velvet-lined stand and glass dome
12½in. (32cm.) high (2)

拍品專文

The celebrated Haymarket emporium established by the clockmaker/jeweller Thomas Weeks (1743-1834) was titled 'The Royal Mechanical Museum' in 1788. Weeks followed the fashion established by James Cox (d. 1788) and the Swiss company Jaquet Droz for exhibiting highly ornamental automaton clocks as part of London's great trade attractions.
The present clock is distinctly designed in the French manner. Weeks made a number of similar clocks and on occasions signed them Semain as if to emphasise their French-influenced heritage.
A similar clock sold in these rooms, July 8, 1994