LATE 18TH CENTURY

Details

A DUTCH WHITE-PAINTED AND PARCEL-GILT CLOCK
Late 18th Century
The mirrored upper section with swagged flowers below an urn, with a laurel-swagged clock with glazed white painted Roman and Arabic dial with steel hands with gilt sunbursts, with twin barrel movement with silk suspension to verge escapement, quarter striking on two bells, the strike work positioned on a back plate stamped 'FRF 366', below a ribbon bow, and a Classical maiden bronzed bust, the movement stamped 'FRF 366', the lower section with drapery-swagged ram masks above a rectangular panel with musical trophy, the sides with pierced entwined laurel panels, on an acanthus and ribbon-banded base, the movement and dail Swiss, previously fitted with a musical movement in the base
118 in. (300 cm.) high; 29 in. (74 cm.) wide; 21 in. (53.5 cm.) deep

Special notice

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Lot Essay

This richly-carved clock, which is decorated with musical trophies and abundant floral swags, is closely related to an organ clock acquired around 1874 by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild for Waddesdon Manor and discussed by G. de Bellaigue in The James A. de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor, Fribourg, 1974, Vol. I, pp. 161-163. The Waddesdon organ clock was traditionally thought to be German, and possibly executed by a thus far unknown carver, H.C. Micheelis, whose signature appears on the Orpheus figure flanking the case. However, the overall proportions, several aspects of the carving and in particular the detailed Dutch inscriptions on the barrels of the organ would confirm that the Waddesdon clock was executed in Holland rather than in Germany (G. de Bellaigue, ibid., p. 162).
The carving of both the Waddesdon and Longleat clocks is related to an impressive lyre-shaped mahogany clock by the Amsterdam horlogemaker Jan. N. Boyon, dated 1791, which is now in in the Utrecht Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement (R. Baarsen, De Amsterdamse meubelloterijen, Zwolle, 1992, p. 61).

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