Chinese clockmaking developed significantly at the end of the 18th Century. The present clock displays many features typical of Chinese workmanship and was probably made in Guangzhou, where clockmaking workshops arose alongside the trade in imported clocks. Of note is the use of paste gem decoration, the unsigned dial and movement, the typical use of a sweep seconds hand and the employment of a duplex escapement, more commonly used on Chinese and Chinese market table clocks than on their European counterparts. A Chinese clock of related design was sold Sotheby's London, Clocks, Watches, Wristwatches and Barometers, 18 December 1990, lot 63.