BY HENDERIK DE LEEUW, AMSTERDAM, LAST QUARTER 18TH CENTURY

Details

A DUTCH MAHOGANY MUSICAL AUTOMATON LONGCASE CLOCK
BY HENDERIK DE LEEUW, AMSTERDAM, LAST QUARTER 18TH CENTURY
The moulded arched hood with pierced sound frets to the frieze and detachable soundfrets to the sides, centred by a carved portrait medallion and a ribbon-tied garland, surmounted by gilt wood urn finials, the hood with circular columns headed by brass Corinthian capitals to the front, above a cartouche-shaped trunk door decorated with a carved medallion and a classical vase with a cartouche gilt-brass mount, the case with canted angles above a bombé plinth with floral sprays and a wavy skirt with a central medallion, on ball and claw feet, the dial painted with mythological figures and an automaton scene of the Judgement of Midas with Apollo and Pan, penny-moon, with levers to the sides for Slaan/Niet Slaan and Speel/Niet Speele and six tune selection flanking the silvered and arcaded Roman and Arabic chapter ring, matted centre applied with a silvered and engraved signature swag signed Henderik de Leeuw/Amsterdam, subsidiary seconds ring with hatch engraving around a date aperture, conforming engraving around silvered, painted and engraved sectors for day and month, with hatch engraved cartouche around the winding holes, the three train eight day five pillar movement, anchor escapement, Dutch rack strike on two bells, 17 cm. long pinned musical barrel positioned to one side of the movement, playing six tunes on fourteen bells with twenty-seven hammers; three weights; pendulum
290 cm. high

Provenance

Kunstcollectie SNS REAAL

Special notice

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Lot Essay

The Judgement of Midas; a musical contest of Pan versus Apollo, judged by the mountain god Tmolus. King Midas, who happened to be present, disagreed with the verdict and was rewarded with ass's ears by Apollo. See also: Hall's Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art, London 1995.

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