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Lot Essay
G. & J. Cary, 86, St. James's Street, London were part of a family well known as makers of globes. Apparently the only other known globe from this partnership is at Jesus College, Oxford.
This quite extraordinary astronomical clock is one of only three examples known to exist;
The present clock.
Another, signed James Gorham, Kensington, sold in these rooms, 7 February, 1979.
A third signed James Shearer now in the City Museum, Oslo, Norway.
All three of these remarkable clocks have the same movement frame with mean and sidereal trains and two globes rotating above the movement each dated 1835 and 1822. The Gorham clock has its calendar ring openly displayed between the globes on a vertical plane whereas for the present example the calendar ring is shown on a horizontal plane beneath the two globes. In addition the present clock has an individual sun and moon encircling the globes, a feature absent on the Gorham clock and apparently on the Shearer clock in Oslo.
Quite which of the two Shearer clocks originally belonged to the Duke of Sussex is still in doubt but of the two the present example is the only one in private hands.
James Shearer is listed as working 1825-40 but no further information can be found. There would be little doubt he actually made these clocks if it was not for the example signed Gorham. James Gorham is listed as working from 1815-1854 at 5 Kensington High Street which is litterally outside the gates of Kensington Palace, the London Residence of the Duke of Sussex. He was also Clockmaker to Queen Victoria, perhaps on the advice of the Duke of Sussex. It is worth noting that the Sussex Tompion, which was presented to the Duke of Sussex by B.L. Vulliamy, had scratched on the back of its dial This clock was cleaned by James Gorham, Kensington, 1834 and in the sale of the Duke's impressive clock collection in 1843 no less than six clocks by Gorham were offered.
Unlike Congreve's rolling ball clock where the variations in style and quality, even of the contemporary examples, is quite notable, the three astronomical skeleton clocks have identical movement frames, wheel trains, winding systems, globes, glass cases, escapements and balances. It seems certain therefore that all three were made in the same workshop. The clock signed Gorham was apparently a commission for the mathematician John Herepath (1790-1868), who also lived in Kensington. Possibly it was the Duke of Sussex that saw Herepath's clock that had been made by Shearer but retailed by Gorham. Or possibly it was Herepath that saw the Duke's clock, signed Shearer, in his collection at Kensington Palace and asked Gorham to order another but with some alterations which meant Gorham could attach his name to it in place of Shearer's.
It is perhaps worth noting that in the sale of the Duke of Sussex's collection in 1843, of the 137 clocks and watches offered the Shearer skeleton clock was the fifth most expensive piece selling for 38gns 6/6. Other pieces in the sale included a number of elaborate French clocks, watches by Breguet (including a toubillon that sold for 26gns 16/6.), an Arnold pocket chronometer No. 36 that sold for 33gns, regulators by Gray, Recordon and Vulliamy (including the 'friction roller regulator' now in the National Maritime Museum) and other timepieces by Tompion, Knibb and Pinchbeck to name but a few.
This quite extraordinary astronomical clock is one of only three examples known to exist;
The present clock.
Another, signed James Gorham, Kensington, sold in these rooms, 7 February, 1979.
A third signed James Shearer now in the City Museum, Oslo, Norway.
All three of these remarkable clocks have the same movement frame with mean and sidereal trains and two globes rotating above the movement each dated 1835 and 1822. The Gorham clock has its calendar ring openly displayed between the globes on a vertical plane whereas for the present example the calendar ring is shown on a horizontal plane beneath the two globes. In addition the present clock has an individual sun and moon encircling the globes, a feature absent on the Gorham clock and apparently on the Shearer clock in Oslo.
Quite which of the two Shearer clocks originally belonged to the Duke of Sussex is still in doubt but of the two the present example is the only one in private hands.
James Shearer is listed as working 1825-40 but no further information can be found. There would be little doubt he actually made these clocks if it was not for the example signed Gorham. James Gorham is listed as working from 1815-1854 at 5 Kensington High Street which is litterally outside the gates of Kensington Palace, the London Residence of the Duke of Sussex. He was also Clockmaker to Queen Victoria, perhaps on the advice of the Duke of Sussex. It is worth noting that the Sussex Tompion, which was presented to the Duke of Sussex by B.L. Vulliamy, had scratched on the back of its dial This clock was cleaned by James Gorham, Kensington, 1834 and in the sale of the Duke's impressive clock collection in 1843 no less than six clocks by Gorham were offered.
Unlike Congreve's rolling ball clock where the variations in style and quality, even of the contemporary examples, is quite notable, the three astronomical skeleton clocks have identical movement frames, wheel trains, winding systems, globes, glass cases, escapements and balances. It seems certain therefore that all three were made in the same workshop. The clock signed Gorham was apparently a commission for the mathematician John Herepath (1790-1868), who also lived in Kensington. Possibly it was the Duke of Sussex that saw Herepath's clock that had been made by Shearer but retailed by Gorham. Or possibly it was Herepath that saw the Duke's clock, signed Shearer, in his collection at Kensington Palace and asked Gorham to order another but with some alterations which meant Gorham could attach his name to it in place of Shearer's.
It is perhaps worth noting that in the sale of the Duke of Sussex's collection in 1843, of the 137 clocks and watches offered the Shearer skeleton clock was the fifth most expensive piece selling for 38gns 6/6. Other pieces in the sale included a number of elaborate French clocks, watches by Breguet (including a toubillon that sold for 26gns 16/6.), an Arnold pocket chronometer No. 36 that sold for 33gns, regulators by Gray, Recordon and Vulliamy (including the 'friction roller regulator' now in the National Maritime Museum) and other timepieces by Tompion, Knibb and Pinchbeck to name but a few.