FINE ANTIQUE CLOCKS.
Established 1968.
Tel.(01732)358986. Fax.(01732)771842.
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No.106. 31359C.BR A quite exceptional and very important early English lacquer turntable clock. The very large arched bell top lacquer case has the most wonderful pictorial lacquer work and gold filigree all on a dark green background. Starting at the top of the case, the bell top is surmounted by a large flambeau finial standing on a green lacquer and gilded block, the gilding in the form of a grotesque mask. The top of the bell top then has floral pictures to all four sides, again with gilded tracery. The second level of the bell top has gilded tracery in the corners and floral and Chinese style pictures to the front, back and sides. This bell top then stands on the curved top of the clock with blind engraved brass frets of a delicate scroll shape. There are further Chinese inspired pictures to the sides, again with gilded panelling. The four corners of the top have smaller gilded flambeau finials. Above the front and back doors and above the carrying handles to the sides there are again silk backed engraved and fretted brass panels. There are columns to the four corners which have beautifully painted trailing flowers and gilded tracery. The front and back doors, which are gold edged, are completely filled with floral panels and Chinese figures interspersed with gilded tracery. The turntable base of the clock conforms to the rest of the case with profuse amounts of tracery, beautiful floral pictures and large Chinese figured pictures to the front and two sides. |
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The sides of the clock have heavy brass carrying handles and large silk backed and engraved fretted brass panels. The whole case is quite exceptional and is a wonderful example of the fine lacquer work that was done on some of the top British clocks during the second part of the 18th century. It is quite exceptional to find a lacquer case in this state of repair.
When we bought this clock almost the entire case had been over painted with a later style and rather crude form of lacquer work. The clock has been painstakingly stripped back layer by layer and at least 60% of the original lacquer work was then found to be present, including many of the original pictures. We have a photographic record of most parts of this restoration. It was then possible to restore the original lacquer work and in the small areas where the original was missing to include conforming lacquer work. It was necessary to replace a few of the fretted panels but a number of them were original and in situ and so we had styles to work from.
The clock is of very large proportions standing some 37" high to the top of the finial.
The movement and dial of this clock are again quite exceptional. In the arch of the dial is a silvered and engraved dial with the 12 tunes that can be selected. These are selected using the heavy tune selection lever which is of blued steel. The centre of the arch has a nicely painted scene of three people playing instruments and dancing in front of a small cottage.
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The dial itself has subsidiary dials in the top right and left corners for strike/not strike and chime/not chime. The silvered chapter ring has Arabic outer numerals and Roman numerals with a nicely matted centre with a cut out for the false pendulum bob and a cut out above 6 o’clock for the date. There is a shaped cartouche below 12 o’clock for the signature, Stephen Rimbault, London.
The nicely shaped hands are of blued steel and there are gilded spandrels to the corners, the top ones being nicely shaped to fit round the subsidiary dials. The centres of the subsidiary dials are engraved rather than matted.
The eight day chain fusee movement has a reinstated verge escapement and large plates with extensions to the top to hold the pin barrel and the carillon of bells. The backplate is profusely engraved with a large fly mounted on a cock to regulate the speed of the music. The large 12 tune pin barrel is mounted across the top of the backplate of the movement on a substantial brass sub frame which moves in its entirety with the tune selection lever. There are 24 hammers working on 13 bells and there is an additional bell on the side of the movement for the hour striking.
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The movement has eight nicely knopped pillars and well crossed out four spoke wheel work. The complex under dial work has well shaped racks and levers. These large musical clocks with the pin barrel mounted across the backplate, rather than from front to back, enable more complex and accurate tunes to be played and were used on the very best musical clocks. Height: 37" (94 cms.) |
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Click on the tune you require.
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John Stephen Rimbault was one of the two principal members of a family of clockmakers which flourished from about 1700 until the end of the century. He was a member of the Clockmakers’ Company from 1744 to 1785. He excelled in making clocks both with mechanical figures and other forms of complications, but also in organ clocks and exceptional carillon clocks like this present example. Clocks that played 12 different tunes are most unusual, although a longcase clock by Stephen Rimbault is noted as using a 12¾" barrel and playing 12 tunes on 13 bells with 24 hammers. The barrel on this clock is some 12" long.
One of Stephen Rimbault’s musical clocks is in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and a splendid organ clock was in the Frank Metzger Collection in New York.
For some time Rimbault employed the artist Johann Zoffany, who was born in 1733 in Frankfurt and lived at The Strand on the Green, Chiswick, as his decorative assistant and he painted scenes and automata figures on the front of many of his musical clocks. It is highly likely that both the picture in the arch of this clock and the painted panels on the case were from his hand. Further reading John Zoffany RA. His Life and Works 1735-1810 by Manners, Lady Victoria & Dr G C Williamson.
Other examples of Rimbault’s work can be seen in ‘The Musical Clock’ by Arthur Ord-Hume.
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