Beschreibung:

An unusual George II brass mounted ebonised balloon-shaped table timepiece John Hallifax, London, circa 1750 The four pillar single fusee movement with circular plates and verge escapement regulated by 10.75 inch pendulum with large pear-shaped bob, the 8 inch circular brass dial with shaped silvered plate engraved Jn'o: Hallifax, Fleet Street, LONDON to the matted centre within applied Roman numeral chapter ring with Arabic five minutes to outer track and pierced steel hands, in a waisted arch-shaped case with generous cast brass pineapple finial to the concave-sided upstand over full-height brass fillet inset glazed front door with aperture following the shaped of the case, the sides with applied tall brass-edged panels, the rear with plain rectangular door, on ogee moulded shallow skirt base with brass bracket feet (generally distressed), 48cm (19ins) high excluding finial; 54.5cm (21.5ins) high overall. Evidence in the dial plate (four spare holes) indicates that the current movement is NOT original to the dial and the case Provenance: The estate of a connoisseur collector of regional furniture, works of art and clocks. John Hallifax is recorded in Baillie, G.H. Watchmakers & Clockmakers of the World as working in Fleet Street, London until his death in 1758. The case of the current lot can be described as a precursor to the standard Regency 'balloon-shaped' bracket clock which became popular during the first quarter of the 19th century and can be compared to a fine gilt brass mounted tortoiseshell veneered example housing a quarter chiming movement by Justin Vulliamy in the Royal collection (illustrated in Jagger, Cedric ROYAL CLOCKS page 88, fig. 121). This design probably evolved from the typical French Louis XV waisted form of which an 'English' version, housing a slightly earlier quarter-chiming movement by John Hallifax, is illustrated in Nicholls, Andrew, English Bracket and Mantel Clocks on page 90 (fig. 24). Condition report disclaimer