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A German polychrome-painted astronomical and automaton quarter-chiming pedestal clock

POSSIBLY STRASBOURG. SECOND HALF 17TH CENTURY

Details

A German polychrome-painted astronomical and automaton quarter-chiming pedestal clock
Possibly Strasbourg. Second Half 17th Century
CASE: the upper section of tower form and modelled in four tiers, with barley-twist columns to the angles, arched side doors, balustraded galleries and crocketed spire finials, with separate later panelled pedestal base; restorations, refreshing to decoration
DIAL: of painted iron and decorated with trompe l'oeil columns to its sides, the lower ring showing (from outside) minutes, quarter hours, hours and symbols of the day of the week, the centre with revolving sun, a rising shutter indicating the variation in the length of the day, brass sun and moon minute hand, brass and steel sun and crescent moon hour hand, steel serpentine sign of day hand; the upper ring showing (from outside) month, sign of the zodiac and date (30 day month), the centre showing the phases of the moon, serpentine steel month and zodiac hands, straight steel date hand with bird pointer; the left subsidiary ring showing the Dominical letter; the right subsidiary ring linked to the shutters on the time dial and indicating length of day throughout the year; decoration refreshed
MOVEMENT: short duration five train steel posted frame movement with brass wheelwork, decorated springs, verge escapement with short pendulum, further iron movement behind for the cuckoo, formerly with quarter strike on bell above; restorations
AUTOMATA: just before the hour strike a cockerel to the upper left crows (via large bellows) with open beak and flaps it wings, then a cuckoo to the upper right dips forward and opens its beak to sing five times (via two separate small bellows); at the hour a door opens above the right pillar and a town crier emerges to toll the hours (via a double countwheel, the sound coming from a bell above) and point, his mouth opening and closing, meanwhile a procession of Apostles passes on the tier above; then a skeleton emerges from a door above the left column to turn an hourglass and so indicate Man's mortality; finally the figure of an executioner emerges on the central tier, looking forward before turning away
112¾ in. (286 cm.) high

Provenance

Sotheby's New York, Masterpieces from the Time Museum, Part II, 19 June 2002, lot 217, Time Museum Inventory No.334.
Propr. Cuendet, Romainmôtier

Literature

Illustrated, Alfred Chapuis & Edmond Droz, Automata, B.T.Batsford Ltd., 1958, pp.127-129, figs.132-134; Giuseppe Bruta, L'Arte dell'Orologeria in Europa, Bramante, 1978, pls.367-368; Seth Atwood and William Andrewes, The Time Museum, an Introduction, Rockford, 1983, p.8.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
Klaus Maurice, Die Deutsche Raderûhr, Band II, C.H.Beck, 1976, figs.793-794; Derek Roberts, Mystery, Novelty and Fantasy Clocks, Schiffer, 1999, pp.10-19; Anton Lübke, Das Grosse Uhrenbuch, Von der Sonnenuhr zur Atomuhr, Wasmuth, 1977, p.237, fig.344.

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