THE PROPERTY OF A EUROPEAN LADY

A CHARLES II GILT-BRASS MOUNTED EBONY TIMEPIECE TABLE CLOCK WITH SLIDE PULL QUARTER REPEAT

THOMAS TOMPION, LONDON, CIRCA 1680

Details

A CHARLES II GILT-BRASS MOUNTED EBONY TIMEPIECE TABLE CLOCK WITH SLIDE PULL QUARTER REPEAT
THOMAS TOMPION, LONDON, CIRCA 1680
CASE: the Phase I case with leaf-clasped faceted loop handle to the cushion moulded top with silk-backed foliate sound frets to all sides, trailing bell-flower escutcheon and false plate to the door, glazed sides and rear door, raised on later brass feet DIAL: the latched 6 in. square gilt dial with matted centre and later spandrels about the chapter ring, with Roman hours and Arabic minutes, sword-hilt half-hour markers, later pierced blued steel hands, the line engraved border signed to the lower edge 'Tho. Tompion Londini fecit' MOVEMENT: the timepiece movement with gut fusee, the plates joined by six latched, knopped and ringed pillars, verge escapement and slide pull repeat on two bells, the tulip and foliate engraved backplate with line border and signed to a rectangular reserve 'Tho Tompion Londini Fecit', later winding key
12.1/4 in. (31 cm.) high; 9.1/8 in. (23.2 cm.) wide; 6.1/4 in. (15.8 cm.) deep

Provenance

A Viennese noble collection since the late 19th century.

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Emma Saber

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Lot Essay

This rediscovered and previously unpublished table clock by the most eminent English clockmaker Thomas Tompion is from a select group of early unnumbered 8-day spring driven timepieces. Previously just four of this type have been recorded by Jeremy Evans (Evans, Carter, Wright 'Thomas Tompion, 300 Years', Stroud, 2013, p. 596) and he mentions 'there are only about ten recorded examples of this arrangement' (numbered and unnumbered clocks) including the Iden timepiece (Evans, Carter, Wright op cit pp. 318-9. This unusual type of repeating work was superseded by the more common 'Z' pull-bar, seen on phase 1 clocks from circa 1680-90. As with the Iden timepiece, and in common with the four previously listed of this type, the present clock features an engraved backplate by the 'Tulip' engraver.

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