A Chinese brass mounted ebony small table clock in the English George III style Anomynous, probably early 19th century The four pillar twin chain fusee rack and bell striking back-wound movement now with vertical platform lever escapement to the border engraved backplate incorporating 'nonesuch' signature to centre and hand setting screw to upper left hand corner, the 3.75 inch circular white enamel convex Roman numeral dial with sweep centre seconds and pierced steel hands, set within a rectangular brass plate chased in relief with symmetrical stylised foliate scrolls on a matted ground, the ebony bell-top case with hinged brass carrying handle, inset fillet collar and bud finials above rectangular glazed door applied with brass scroll mounts to rails and flowering foliage cast mounts to uprights flanked by canted angles adorned with further conforming mounts, the sides with circular scroll pierced brass sound frets over concave-topped rectangular glazed apertures, the rear with door matching the front but without the mounts flanked by conforming canted angles, on brass bound cavetto moulded shallow skirt base with chased brass lions paw feet, 29cm (11.5ins) high excluding handle. The current lot belongs to a group of clocks made in China throughout the 19th century however differs in that it is smaller than normal and is housed in an English George III style case rather than the more usual Chinese box-form case which were often supported on a multi-tier fretwork stand. Whether the movements of such clocks were actually made in China or imported in a semi-finished state from England appears to be open for conjecture. Clocks made in China (or in Europe for export to China) often had sweep centre seconds and were wound from the back in order to satisfy Chinese taste for dials that were free from the intrusion of winding holes. In order for the clock to be relatively portable and for ease of providing centre seconds the current lot would have originally been fitted with a relatively rare duplex escapement with vertical balance on the backplate, this has now been substituted for a standard carriage clock type platform escapement. Condition report disclaimer
A Chinese brass mounted ebony small table clock in the English George III style Anomynous, probably early 19th century The four pillar twin chain fusee rack and bell striking back-wound movement now with vertical platform lever escapement to the border engraved backplate incorporating 'nonesuch' signature to centre and hand setting screw to upper left hand corner, the 3.75 inch circular white enamel convex Roman numeral dial with sweep centre seconds and pierced steel hands, set within a rectangular brass plate chased in relief with symmetrical stylised foliate scrolls on a matted ground, the ebony bell-top case with hinged brass carrying handle, inset fillet collar and bud finials above rectangular glazed door applied with brass scroll mounts to rails and flowering foliage cast mounts to uprights flanked by canted angles adorned with further conforming mounts, the sides with circular scroll pierced brass sound frets over concave-topped rectangular glazed apertures, the rear with door matching the front but without the mounts flanked by conforming canted angles, on brass bound cavetto moulded shallow skirt base with chased brass lions paw feet, 29cm (11.5ins) high excluding handle. The current lot belongs to a group of clocks made in China throughout the 19th century however differs in that it is smaller than normal and is housed in an English George III style case rather than the more usual Chinese box-form case which were often supported on a multi-tier fretwork stand. Whether the movements of such clocks were actually made in China or imported in a semi-finished state from England appears to be open for conjecture. Clocks made in China (or in Europe for export to China) often had sweep centre seconds and were wound from the back in order to satisfy Chinese taste for dials that were free from the intrusion of winding holes. In order for the clock to be relatively portable and for ease of providing centre seconds the current lot would have originally been fitted with a relatively rare duplex escapement with vertical balance on the backplate, this has now been substituted for a standard carriage clock type platform escapement. Condition report disclaimer
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
