A CHINESE ORMOLU STRIKING MANTEL CLOCK

CIRCA 1780

細節

A CHINESE ORMOLU STRIKING MANTEL CLOCK
CIRCA 1780
CASE: the rectangular case with domed top, surmounted by urn finials, with beaded borders to edges, profusely engraved overall with foliate scrolls, paterae and birds, acanthus leaf border to lower body, on four scroll feet DIAL: ruby paste-set bezel to the white enamel dial with Roman numerals and Arabic quarter marks, blued-steel hands MOVEMENT: two train chain fusee movement with verge escapement, rack striking (formerly quarter striking), the back plate engraved with a bird and shield, scrolling foliage, and 'nonsense' signature, with pendulum; later winding key
12½ in. (31.7 cm.) high; 7 3/8 in. (18.7 cm.) wide; 6 in. (5.3 cm.) deep

來源

With Jeremy Ltd., London

榮譽呈獻

Celia Harvey

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拍品專文

In the style of the small pagoda clocks such as that in the Palace Museum, Beijing (Lu Yangzhen, chief editor, Timepieces Collected by the Qing Emperors in the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1995, p. 170), the present table clock clearly shows European influences, particularly that of the London clockmaker Henry Borrell (see Yangzhen, op cit, p. 100). His style of engraved foliage, beaded borders and leaf mouldings to the foot are all found here. The most prolific centre of clockmaking in China was Guangzhou (Canton) which was the main foreign trading port; the Chinese craftsmen would have been familiar with the imported wares from Europe and the grander pieces by makers such as Borrell intended for the Imperial Court.
A Chinese table clock of similar scale and also with a 'nonsense' signature to the backplate, sold Christie's, London, 17 December 1975, lot 128.