Lot Essay
Possibly inspired by the French glass plate Skeleton clocks the present example is a unique variant using the local product flint glass which was star-cut and polished and then snapped into a conventional brass wheel having had its centre cut out.
Royer-Collard op. cit. was so taken by this clock he illustrated it on the back and front cover of what was then the only reference book on Skeleton Clocks. He also writes "His clocks drew large crowds of sightseers when shown at the Great Exhibition". This is the first example to have appeared on the open market for 20 years, the last one having been sold in these rooms, 25 January, 1978, lot 61.
Royer-Collard op. cit. was so taken by this clock he illustrated it on the back and front cover of what was then the only reference book on Skeleton Clocks. He also writes "His clocks drew large crowds of sightseers when shown at the Great Exhibition". This is the first example to have appeared on the open market for 20 years, the last one having been sold in these rooms, 25 January, 1978, lot 61.