
Lot 1
A late 19th century French brass carriage clock with rare backplate striking Retailed by Parkinson and Frodsham, London No. 572. Supplied by VB
13 July 2023, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £1,024 inc. premium
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A late 19th century French brass carriage clock with rare backplate striking
Retailed by Parkinson and Frodsham, London No. 572. Supplied by VB
Surmounted by a three piece moulded handle above an oval escapement observation window, the moulded cornice over glazed panels framed by concave pillars, on a moulded base.
The Roman and Arabic white enamel dial signed Parkinson & Frodsham London with blued steel moon hands, a subsidiary Arabic alarm dial under VI, set in a foliate strapwork-engraved silvered mask.
The twin spring barrel movement with jewelled Swiss silvered platform stamped VB over a crown, with lever escapement and half-cut compensated bimetallic balance, the rack strike work with shaped levers mounted on the backplate, the plate itself stamped VB 572. Ticking, alarm operational, and striking the hour and half-hour on a gong below the movement. 18cms (7ins) high
Surmounted by a three piece moulded handle above an oval escapement observation window, the moulded cornice over glazed panels framed by concave pillars, on a moulded base.
The Roman and Arabic white enamel dial signed Parkinson & Frodsham London with blued steel moon hands, a subsidiary Arabic alarm dial under VI, set in a foliate strapwork-engraved silvered mask.
The twin spring barrel movement with jewelled Swiss silvered platform stamped VB over a crown, with lever escapement and half-cut compensated bimetallic balance, the rack strike work with shaped levers mounted on the backplate, the plate itself stamped VB 572. Ticking, alarm operational, and striking the hour and half-hour on a gong below the movement. 18cms (7ins) high
Footnotes
The trademark on this clock has been variously described as a 'VB' over a crown, a 'VB' over a W, or the initials 'VWB'. Charles Allix notes a 'superb' grande sonnerie striking carriage clock with alarm, thermometer and calendar complications, numbered 557 with this same trademark. He tentatively suggests that the initials could be those of Victorien Bousset.
Allix, C. (1974) Carriage Clocks: Their History and Development. Woodbridge: Baron Publishing, p. 434.