Live Auction 5966The European Connoisseur - 500 Years Decorative Arts Europe
A RENAISSANCE ENGRAVED GILT-BRASS CYLINDRICAL SMALL TIMEPIECE TABLE CLOCK WITH ALARM
Lot 158 PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED ENGLISH COLLECTION

A RENAISSANCE ENGRAVED GILT-BRASS CYLINDRICAL SMALL TIMEPIECE TABLE CLOCK WITH ALARM

PROBABLY FRENCH, LATE 16TH EARLY 17TH CENTURY

Closed6 December 2012

Price Realised

GBP 5,000

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A RENAISSANCE ENGRAVED GILT-BRASS CYLINDRICAL SMALL TIMEPIECE TABLE CLOCK WITH ALARM
PROBABLY FRENCH, LATE 16TH EARLY 17TH CENTURY
CASE: cylindrical with pierced domed top and hinged small door on side, with foliate and strapwork engraving all over, the base with 'R' (reveil) and 'M' (marché) next to winding holes DIAL: the engraved brass chapter ring with Roman numerals and blued steel hand, an alarm disc with Arabic numerals, foliate engraved centre and floral pointer MOVEMENT: the horizontal 2½ inch diameter movement with circular brass plates secured by three slender turned steel pillars, the going train with narrow chain fusee with verge and balance wheel escapement and steel-end capped barrel for verge style alarm
3 in. (7.6 cm.) high; 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm.) diameter

Specialist note

This small timepiece table clock is a rare survival from the Renaissance era. With a cylindrical case, pierced domed top and strapwork engraving, the form and decoration of the timepiece illustrates a French interpretation of the German horizontal table clock. The few similar examples signed by London and German clockmakers probably represent imports and most of the surviving comparable clocks and timepieces are signed by French makers. See Tardy, French Clocks-The World Over, Vol. I, Paris, 1981, pp. 79-83; Patrizzi & Co., Milan, Pre-Pendulum European Renaissance Clocks, 24 May 2009, lot 20 (46,000 EUR); Christie's London, 5 July 2002, lot 20 (£7,409).