Lot 35

A Louis Philippe mahogany and ebony-inlaid month-going astronomical striking table regulator with equation of time and year calendar

PAUL GARNIER À PARIS, CIRCA 1835

Details

A Louis Philippe mahogany and ebony-inlaid month-going astronomical striking table regulator with equation of time and year calendar
Paul Garnier à Paris, circa 1835
The case with detachable stepped and dentilled top supported on four ebony line-inlaid pilasters, sliding front and rear glasses, the rectangular base on block feet, the unusual dial with central white enamel Roman and Arabic chapter ring having pierced and chased ormolu hour and minute hands, counterpoised blued steel sweep hand for the concentric seconds ring, the centre with a cloud-borne rolling moonphase calibrated 0 to 29½, the chapter disc held within an ormolu zodiac ring with D-ended cartouches having individual painted signs of the zodiac, the dials below with revolving inner ring giving the equation of time indicated to by the central sun ray engraved Equation des Temps and also engraved on the inner ormolu ring Difference du Midi vrai au Midi moyen, the outer white enamel revolving ring for year calendar indicated to by a blued steel star, the high quality movement with circular plates and four back-pinned pillars, twing going barrels, countwheel strike on bell on the back-plate, deadbeat escapement similarly mounted on the back-plate with spring suspended grid-iron pendulum with silvered temperature scale recessed into the glazed ormolu bob, the back-plate signed Paul Garnier Hger. Mécanicien à Paris
25½ in. (65 cm.) high

Lot Essay

Jean-Paul Garnier, 1801-1869, was one of France's greatest 19th. century clockmakers, apprenticed to the great Antide Janvier (1751-1835) he settled in Rue Taitbout in about 1825. Janvier's contribution to horology took many forms, he had a great interest in electrical clocks and took many patents (see lot 8) and even received a gold medal for an electric clock in 1851. He also brought the carriage clock industry to the fore and produced a large nunber of durable one-piece clocks with his own 'chaff-cutter' escapement.
The present clock is atypical of Garnier's usual work but exhibits almost every refinement and complication thought possible at the time. The painted rather than enamelled zodiac characters have been well designed and drawn and are a most unusual and pleasing refinement.

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