Lot 70
A very fine and rare early 19th century ormolu-mounted red marble mantel timepiece with original numbered pendulum Vulliamy, London, No. 518
13 July 2023, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £23,040 inc. premium
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A very fine and rare early 19th century ormolu-mounted red marble mantel timepiece with original numbered pendulum
Vulliamy, London, No. 518
Surmounted by a gilt eagle looking to the left with outstretched wings, the shafts of his feathers individually burnished, with boldly cast claws grasping a stylised thunderbolt, set on a plinth over the drum case flanked by a pair of lions, each with finely rendered mane and tail curled around its body, the stepped plinth mounted with a finely cast and burnished foliate scroll frieze centred by acanthus foliage, raised on cast button feet, the side panels with matching acanthus mount. The 3.5 inch gilt dial with engraved dotted minute band framing the matted Roman chapter ring and graduated engine turned centre, with fine blued steel heart-shaped hands enclosed by a snake bezel. The signed and numbered chain fusee movement with circular plates united by four turned pillars with stepped collets and single collar, the high quality train terminating in a half-deadbeat escapement with rise and fall regulation to the original numbered pendulum, with two-piece cock. Ticking. 30cms (12ins) high
Surmounted by a gilt eagle looking to the left with outstretched wings, the shafts of his feathers individually burnished, with boldly cast claws grasping a stylised thunderbolt, set on a plinth over the drum case flanked by a pair of lions, each with finely rendered mane and tail curled around its body, the stepped plinth mounted with a finely cast and burnished foliate scroll frieze centred by acanthus foliage, raised on cast button feet, the side panels with matching acanthus mount. The 3.5 inch gilt dial with engraved dotted minute band framing the matted Roman chapter ring and graduated engine turned centre, with fine blued steel heart-shaped hands enclosed by a snake bezel. The signed and numbered chain fusee movement with circular plates united by four turned pillars with stepped collets and single collar, the high quality train terminating in a half-deadbeat escapement with rise and fall regulation to the original numbered pendulum, with two-piece cock. Ticking. 30cms (12ins) high
Footnotes
Provenance:
Sotheby's 'The contents of Stonor Park, Oxfordshire' 1970, property of Lady Camoys.
The use of a Roman-style thunderbolt sitting below the eagle is very rare in Vulliamy's ouevre, two others are known to us, number 591 (which incidentally uses the same frieze as the current lot), sold Christies 2.10.1991; and number 598 advertised by Blairman in 2015 and later by Anthony Woodburn in 2018.
The present lions are modelled "from nature" by the sculptor James Smith (1775-1815) and are identical to those used on the preceding clock, number 517, which Vulliamy sold in 1814. For a full analysis of the different lions used on Vulliamy's clocks, see Smith, Roger, 'Vulliamy Lions: Their Designers and Modellers, Furniture History Society, Vol. LVI (2020), pp69-82.
We are grateful to Roger Smith for his assistance with this entry.
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