A GEORGE III ORMOLU QUARTER-STRIKING, MUSICAL AND AUTOMATON TABLE CLOCK FOR THE CHINESE MARKET

Starting price
£ 300 000
Auction dateClassic
06.07.2023 12:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
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ID 992790
Lot 29 | A GEORGE III ORMOLU QUARTER-STRIKING, MUSICAL AND AUTOMATON TABLE CLOCK FOR THE CHINESE MARKET
A GEORGE III ORMOLU QUARTER-STRIKING, MUSICAL AND AUTOMATON TABLE CLOCK FOR THE CHINESE MARKET

HENRY BORRELL, LONDON, CIRCA 1795

CASE: of rectangular outline with domed top, chased and engraved overall with bands of foliage and flowerheads and applied with relief plaques of birds and oval paterae, the sides with nests of birds, with stiff-leaf clasped lidded vase finial, four further outset finials, beaded openwork volutes to the angles, the spreading base raised on swept feet, velvet covered ebonised wood base

DIAL: the six inch white enamel dial with Roman hours and Arabic five minutes, gilt spade hands, the upper left arbor to the front plate for hand setting, the upper right for tune selection, with strike / silent lever above 'XII'

MOVEMENT: the three-train chain fusee movement with six ringed pillars, pin-wheel escapement mounted to the backplate, striking the quarters on two bells and the hour on a single bell and playing one of two tunes on eight bells via fifteen hammers, the backplate profusely engraved overall with trailing foliage and flowerheads, signed within an oval reserve 'Henry Borrell / London', the pendulum with engraved bob numbered '4' to reverse

AUTOMATON: at the hour the shutter below the dial rises to reveal two lines of moving ships and rotating spiral glass rods with painted glass background of trees and a bridge, variously stamped '4' to elements of case and movement

25 in. (63.5 cm.) high; 13 3/4 in. (35 cm.) wide; 11 in. (28 cm.) deep





Provenance

A French private collection.



Special notice

This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
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06.07.2023
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