An early 19th century gilt and patinated bronze mounted marble and slate mantel timepiece

Vulliamy, London, number 389

Saleroom notices

Vulliamy No. 389 The firm of Vulliamy & Son were the most fashionable clockmakers in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century London. Their shop at 74 (later renumbered 68) Pall Mall was close to St James's Palace, and the head of the firm, Benjamin Vulliamy (1747-1811) was Clockmaker to King George III, an appointment which later passed to his son, Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy (1780-1854). [1] Although Benjamin Vulliamy designed and produced many fine ornamental clocks for his wealthy and knowledgeable customers, lion clocks like No. 389, with the movement contained in a marble drum flanked by recumbent lions on a marble plinth, were among the firm's most characteristic products in the early nineteenth century. Their style is sometimes described as "Regency", but they were actually introduced several years before the Prince of Wales became Regent of the United Kingdom in 1811. The earliest clock of this type was No. 309, delivered to the wealthy connoisseur and author William Beckford in March 1799, [2] but a watch case of very similar form had been sold to the Countess of Cork and Orrery a year earlier, in February 1798. [3] Thereafter, such clocks were made by the Vulliamys for many years, though with various changes to the size of the marble case and to the decorative elements in ormolu or bronze. The lions themselves were also altered in various ways, most obviously in changing from an 'antique' model holding a ball between its front paws, perhaps derived from the ancient Roman statue in Florence known as the Medici lion, to the more naturalistic types found on later clocks. The "large black lion clock" No. 389 was delivered to Miss Levison [sic] Gower on 7 March 1804 for 42 guineas (£44-2s), and displays the earlier 'antique' form of lion. Although Benjamin Vulliamy almost certainly designed the clock himself, drawing on his extensive library of neo-classical design sources, [4] we know from the firm's surviving records that he subcontracted much of the process of manufacture to independent specialists, while maintaining careful supervision to ensure that the highest standards were met. [5] The craftsmen and suppliers used in the manufacture of this clock were among those regularly employed by Vulliamy at this period: Jackson supplied the movement (£5-5s), and the other main payments were to Day for the marble case (£5-12s), Houle for chasing the lions (£4-4s) after casting by Barnett (19s), and Barrow for the "brass work" (£2-0s). [6] In the interests of efficiency, the Vulliamys often commissioned two (and sometimes more) similar clocks from their suppliers at the same time, and it is interesting to note that a 'pair' to this clock, No. 390, was sold to the Prince of Wales just a few months after Miss Leveson Gower bought No. 389. [7] Unfortunately, nothing more is known about Miss Leveson Gower, but her name indicates that she belonged to the family of the Marquess of Stafford, later to become the first Duke of Sutherland. Notes 1. For a brief history of the Vulliamy family of watch and clock makers, see the present author's article in The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004). 2. Information about clock No. 309 comes from Vulliamy Clock Book 1 (see note 5). It was sold at Christie's London, 20 November 2008, lot 5. 3. Sold in these rooms 6 July 2016, lot 86. 4. Vulliamy's personal role in designing his clocks is discussed in Roger Smith, "Benjamin Vulliamy's library: a collection of neo-Classical design sources", The Burlington Magazine, June 1999, pp. 328-37. 5. Two of the firm's Clock Books, containing the names of workers employed on each clock, survive in the collection of the British Horological Institute (BHI). Clock Book 1 covers the period 1797-1809. 6. Jackson, Day and Houle appear in lists of suppliers/workmen in Vulliamy's Watch Day Books now held in the National Archives: Mr Jackson, clock maker, 11 Chapel Row, Spa Fields; Mr Day, statuary etc, Brewers Row, Westminster; Arthur Hoole [sic], 1 Middle New Street, Fetter Lane. [TNA, C 104/58 - extracted and published by Francis Wadsworth in "Some early 19th Century Workmen", Antiquarian Horology, Summer 1991, pp. 401-12.] 7. BHI, Vulliamy Clock Book 1. We are grateful to Mr Roger Smith for the note.