Stock No.

Exhibit No.30

Height

5 inches (127 mm)

Case

The octagonal horizontal red turtleshell veneered and ormolu mounted case surmounted by a conforming lockable glazed gilt-brass bezel hinged door, and resting on gilt-brass foliate scroll feet. The chamfered angles applied with ribbon-tied foliate ormolu mounts with gilt-metal sound frets to each side, intricately pierced and engraved with foliage, strapwork and shells. All resting on a purpose-made conforming ebonised plinth.

Dial

The 4 inch (102 mm) square chamfered-corner gilt-brass dial signed Dan Quare LONDON on a silvered cartouche-shaped aperture in the matted centre, lunette cut-out beneath XII for the strike/silent dial, central alarm disc, silvered chapter ring, foliate pierced and engraved spandrels in the Japanese taste.

Movement

The movement with chamfered-corner, square brass plates secured by six baluster pillars pinned through the frontplate, with twin chain fusees. The verge escapement mounted in the vertical plane, the short pendulum with the original calibrated polygonal, pear-shaped bob swinging to the side of the plates within a purpose-made cut-out and with two spring-loaded brass catches to the underside to secure the pendulum whilst travelling, the alarm with separate spring barrel mounted in the ‘upper left’ quadrant of the movement and wound through the chapter ring beside chapter X, hour strike on an underslung large bell on the backplate via a rack and snail on the frontplate, pull-quarter repeat pulley mounted on the front plate with the quarters and the alarm sounding on a smaller bell inside the hour bell, the back plate entirely engraved with tight scrolling foliage with turnscrews to secure the movement to the case.

Duration

8 days

Provenance

Christie’s, July 2005, lot 158, sold for £98,000;
The John C Taylor collection, inventory no.165

Literature

Garnier & Hollis, Innovation & Collaboration, 2018, p.360

Escapement

Knife-edge verge with calibrated short bob pendulum