AN EXCEPTIONAL IMPERIAL CHINESE ORMOLU, ENAMEL, SILVER AND PASTE-SET MUSICAL AUTOMATON PAGODA CLOCK QIANLONG PERIOD, CIRCA 1790 The case formed as a pagoda on four foliate cast ormolu feet supporting a concave-shaped base decorated in brightly coloured baisse-taille floral enamels on a translucent blue guilloché enamelled ground, each of the four sides displaying complicated automaton scenes; the front panel centred by a pagoda in front of a flowing river of automaton twisted glass rods below an arched bridge supporting a traffic of pedestrians including two elephants; the side panels each set with a finely pierced and painted panel depicting a forest of trees inhabited by exotic birds, with a man and his dog walking behind a waterfall of cascading twisted glass rods rotating to the musical movement; the next section of the clock divided by two tiers of pierced balustrades, the lower tier with automaton paste-set pineapples in the four corners twirling on ormolu urns, the four painted-silver automaton peacocks turning inwards and flapping their wings to the music, the front of the mid section set with a pair of elaborate blue-enamelled and arched doors within a red paste-set frame, the doors opening and closing three times to each musical sequence revealing three different automaton scenes: an ormolu elephant with automaton twirling trunk surmounted by a small twirling automaton carved pagoda, a Chinese watery grotto with simulated fungi and coral centred by an ormolu dragon issuing water from its mouth with a twisted glass-rod waterfall, and the third scene of a Western room interior with a central enamelled automaton kneeling figure drinking from a flask; the upper case section centred by the main clock with a white enamelled Roman and Arabic dial with brass hands and sweep centre seconds, foliate ormolu mounts to each chamfered corner also set with an ormolu and paste-set automaton twirling pineapple, the sides with paste-bordered oval ormolu panels; the upper section formed as an elaborate enamelled domed top with paste-set borders and flanked by further automaton pineapple finials and finally surmounted by an enamelled flask-shaped structure with an automaton finial with a leafy surround falling away to reveal the finial rising up with the music and descending at the end to be enclosed again by leaves; the clock movement with twin chain fusées, verge escapement with short bob pendulum, quarter and hour striking on two bells secured to the foliate engraved backplate, the musical movement housed in the base of the case playing on every fourth hour with a four pillar single fusée movement playing on nine bells via ten hammers and giving power to all the automaton features via indirectly driven gearing from the musical movement (repaired) 36 in. (91.5 cm.) high, 16 1/4 in. (41.5 cm.) wide, 13 in. (33 cm.) deep
AN EXCEPTIONAL IMPERIAL CHINESE ORMOLU, ENAMEL, SILVER AND PASTE-SET MUSICAL AUTOMATON PAGODA CLOCK QIANLONG PERIOD, CIRCA 1790 The case formed as a pagoda on four foliate cast ormolu feet supporting a concave-shaped base decorated in brightly coloured baisse-taille floral enamels on a translucent blue guilloché enamelled ground, each of the four sides displaying complicated automaton scenes; the front panel centred by a pagoda in front of a flowing river of automaton twisted glass rods below an arched bridge supporting a traffic of pedestrians including two elephants; the side panels each set with a finely pierced and painted panel depicting a forest of trees inhabited by exotic birds, with a man and his dog walking behind a waterfall of cascading twisted glass rods rotating to the musical movement; the next section of the clock divided by two tiers of pierced balustrades, the lower tier with automaton paste-set pineapples in the four corners twirling on ormolu urns, the four painted-silver automaton peacocks turning inwards and flapping their wings to the music, the front of the mid section set with a pair of elaborate blue-enamelled and arched doors within a red paste-set frame, the doors opening and closing three times to each musical sequence revealing three different automaton scenes: an ormolu elephant with automaton twirling trunk surmounted by a small twirling automaton carved pagoda, a Chinese watery grotto with simulated fungi and coral centred by an ormolu dragon issuing water from its mouth with a twisted glass-rod waterfall, and the third scene of a Western room interior with a central enamelled automaton kneeling figure drinking from a flask; the upper case section centred by the main clock with a white enamelled Roman and Arabic dial with brass hands and sweep centre seconds, foliate ormolu mounts to each chamfered corner also set with an ormolu and paste-set automaton twirling pineapple, the sides with paste-bordered oval ormolu panels; the upper section formed as an elaborate enamelled domed top with paste-set borders and flanked by further automaton pineapple finials and finally surmounted by an enamelled flask-shaped structure with an automaton finial with a leafy surround falling away to reveal the finial rising up with the music and descending at the end to be enclosed again by leaves; the clock movement with twin chain fusées, verge escapement with short bob pendulum, quarter and hour striking on two bells secured to the foliate engraved backplate, the musical movement housed in the base of the case playing on every fourth hour with a four pillar single fusée movement playing on nine bells via ten hammers and giving power to all the automaton features via indirectly driven gearing from the musical movement (repaired) 36 in. (91.5 cm.) high, 16 1/4 in. (41.5 cm.) wide, 13 in. (33 cm.) deep
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
