A fine and very rare late 17th century ebony veneered quarter repeating table timepiece by the father of English clockmaking Thomas Tompion sold for £156,500 at Bonhams Fine Clocks sale in London on Tuesday 22 June. One of only five Tompion clocks of this type known to exist, it had been estimated at £65,000-90,000.

The sale made a total of £748,603 with 77% sold by lot and 84% sold by value. Other highlights included:

• A very rare mid-19th century French automata carriage clock with the original travelling case. The automata consists of a couple drinking at a table which is in fact the bell held in place by the figure of a bird with outstretched wings. The female figure appears to strike the bell with her arm on the hour and half hour. Sold for £17,750 (£10,000-16,000).
• From the same private collection of English and European carriage and travelling clocks, came a fine and exceptionally rare mid-19th century English giant carriage chronometer timepiece with running seconds and power reserve by John Poole, 57 Fenchurch Street, London. Sold for £30,258 (£17,000-25,000).
• A fine and rare mid 19th century English engraved gilt brass chronometer carriage timepiece with staple balance, in original travelling box. Sold for £26,500 (£15,000-20,000).
• A fine early 20th century French bourne-shaped grande sonnerie carriage clock with running seconds, alarm, day and date. with original presentation case and key. Sold for £24,000 (£6,000-8,000).
• A rare dated mid-17th century Lithuanian engraved gilt brass table clock by Jacob Giercke, Villnya, 1654. Sold for £11,475 (£5,000-7,000).

Bonhams Head of Clocks James Stratton said: "The exceptional quarter repeating table timepiece by Thomas Tompion was undoubtedly the star of the show and the strong interest and high price reflected its importance. There were clocks from all over Europe and it was particularly good to see the table clock from Lithuania doing so well. This was a real rarity and unsurprisingly sparked some spirited bidding."

22 June 2021