Lot Essay
The vivid crimson Limoges enamel panels of this clock are rare; amongst the illustrations of Limoges enamel carriage clocks in reference works by Charles Allix, Derek Roberts and Joseph Fanelli (ops. cit.) the examples shown almost exclusively have a black ground. Indeed, Derek Roberts suggests that this relates to the tradition of enamelling at Limoges:'In the 16th and 17th centuries the work was often done in grisaille, a blue or black background with designs painted in white enamel. It is interesting to note that on the Limoges enamel panels used in carriage clocks, mostly between 1870-1910, a black or occasionally a dark blue background was also generally used...' The use of a more vivid colour on both the ground and the portraits in this instance is in keeping with the design of the case, which clearly demonstrates an Art Nouveau influence.