A RARE FRENCH GILT BRASS MINIATURE CARRIAGE TIMEPIECE WITH FINE FLORENTINE PIETRA-DURA PANELSUNSIGNED, PARIS/FLORENCE, LATE 19TH CENTURYThe rectangular eight-day single train movement with silvered platform lever escapement, the circular gilt on black Roman numeral dial with scroll-pierced gilt hands set behind hinged gilt brass floral band decorated convex-glazed bezel, the frosted gilt brass cannellee case of Mignonnette No. 1 size with faceted lobed hinged carrying handle over large bevelled top glass, complex cornice mouldings and channelled canted uprights, the front with rectangular pietra-dura panel enveloping the dial polychrome decorated with bird inhabited flowering foliage, the sides inset with conforming panels and the rear with bevel-glazed door, on ogee-outline skirt base.8cm (3.125ins) high excluding handle, 5.5cm (2.125ins) wide, 4.5cm (1.75ins) deep. Provenance: Private collection, East Midlands. The current clock would appear to belong to a small group of carriage clocks incorporating fine foliate decorated pietra-dura panels which appear to have been made in a Florentine workshop. Others include a mid-size clock with alarm and push button repeat, (signed for H. Bozi, Florence) which was sold at Christies, King Street, London Important clocks and marine chronometers 20th February 2008 (lot 11) for £3000; another two are pictured in Roberts, Derek CARRIAGE and Other Travelling CLOCKS pages 155 and 156 (Figures 9-32 and 9-33 a-d); a third example, by Drocourt, is illustrated in Allix, Charles and Bonnert, Peter CARRIAGE CLOCKS, Their history and development, (this time housed in an anglaise riche case) on page 180 (Plates VII/C13-14); and finally an example, also signed for Bozi, Florence, was sold in these rooms on 21st April 2021 (lot 112) for £2,800 hammer. Although t is perhaps appropriate to surmise that as most examples from this series are signed for H. Bozi of Florence it is likely that the panels for these were made in the city by workshops principally under this makers/retailer's direction to decorate clocks supplied by Parisian makers - perhaps mainly for retail in Florence to wealthy visitors continuing in the tradition of the 'Grand Tour'. The decoration seen on the panels of the present timepiece differs a little in detail to those seen on clocks signed by Bozi in that there are birds inhabiting the foliage and there is noticeable use of coloured 'dots' included within the foliage and can be compared to the gorge-cased clock illustrated by Derek Roberts on page 155. These subtle differences would suggest that the panels were made in a different workshop to Bozi's.Miniature carriage clocks are called Mignonnettes or 'little darlings' and come in three graded sizes with No. 1 being the smallest.
A RARE FRENCH GILT BRASS MINIATURE CARRIAGE TIMEPIECE WITH FINE FLORENTINE PIETRA-DURA PANELSUNSIGNED, PARIS/FLORENCE, LATE 19TH CENTURYThe rectangular eight-day single train movement with silvered platform lever escapement, the circular gilt on black Roman numeral dial with scroll-pierced gilt hands set behind hinged gilt brass floral band decorated convex-glazed bezel, the frosted gilt brass cannellee case of Mignonnette No. 1 size with faceted lobed hinged carrying handle over large bevelled top glass, complex cornice mouldings and channelled canted uprights, the front with rectangular pietra-dura panel enveloping the dial polychrome decorated with bird inhabited flowering foliage, the sides inset with conforming panels and the rear with bevel-glazed door, on ogee-outline skirt base.8cm (3.125ins) high excluding handle, 5.5cm (2.125ins) wide, 4.5cm (1.75ins) deep. Provenance: Private collection, East Midlands. The current clock would appear to belong to a small group of carriage clocks incorporating fine foliate decorated pietra-dura panels which appear to have been made in a Florentine workshop. Others include a mid-size clock with alarm and push button repeat, (signed for H. Bozi, Florence) which was sold at Christies, King Street, London Important clocks and marine chronometers 20th February 2008 (lot 11) for £3000; another two are pictured in Roberts, Derek CARRIAGE and Other Travelling CLOCKS pages 155 and 156 (Figures 9-32 and 9-33 a-d); a third example, by Drocourt, is illustrated in Allix, Charles and Bonnert, Peter CARRIAGE CLOCKS, Their history and development, (this time housed in an anglaise riche case) on page 180 (Plates VII/C13-14); and finally an example, also signed for Bozi, Florence, was sold in these rooms on 21st April 2021 (lot 112) for £2,800 hammer. Although t is perhaps appropriate to surmise that as most examples from this series are signed for H. Bozi of Florence it is likely that the panels for these were made in the city by workshops principally under this makers/retailer's direction to decorate clocks supplied by Parisian makers - perhaps mainly for retail in Florence to wealthy visitors continuing in the tradition of the 'Grand Tour'. The decoration seen on the panels of the present timepiece differs a little in detail to those seen on clocks signed by Bozi in that there are birds inhabiting the foliage and there is noticeable use of coloured 'dots' included within the foliage and can be compared to the gorge-cased clock illustrated by Derek Roberts on page 155. These subtle differences would suggest that the panels were made in a different workshop to Bozi's.Miniature carriage clocks are called Mignonnettes or 'little darlings' and come in three graded sizes with No. 1 being the smallest.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
