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c.1860 Massive English Oak Cathedral Style Eight-Bell Bracket Clock with a Music Box, Retailed by c.F. Hancock, 39 Bruton St., London.

A very rare mid 19th century oak cathedral-style eight-bell bracket clock that activates a six-tune music box housed in the base at the hour every three hours. The large lancet shaped gothic-style oak case has applied frets throughout, numerous carvings, a painted crest and a base with sliding sides that afford access to a Swiss musical movement. The gilt-bronze dial is skillfully pierced and engraved and is inscribed by the retailer, ‘c.F. Hancock, 39 Bruton Street’, has stylized Roman numerals inspired by gothic design, a strike/silent feature and cut steel fleur de lis hands. The large eight-day triple-fusee quarter-striking movement has a nest of eight bells, six pillars, a dead-beat escapement, an unusually large and heavy pendulum and strikes the hour on a gong. The movement has two controls out the side of the case. One is the start/stop for the pendulum and the other is to activate the repeat. The backplate has the engraved and filled signature of the retailer, ‘C.F. Hancock, 39 Bruton St., London.’
Every three hours the clock activates the six-tune Swiss movement that has a thirteen-inch cylinder, a tune-change, a manual start and an instant stop all of which is listed on two silvered engraved plaques on a removable panel. The movement will play every three hours for two full days on a complete wind.
Charles Frederick Hancock (1802-1881) established his retail premises at 39 Bruton St. in 1849. The relationships established as a partner at the prestigious firm Hunt and Roskell quickly earned the new firm the Royal warrants only a few months after it’s founding. Hancocks participated in all the major exhibitions through the 19th century including The Great Exhibition of 1851 and staked a permanent claim in history when they were commissioned in 1856 to make both the Devonshire Parure and the Victoria Cross.
c.F. Hancock was the retailer for many of Thomas Cole’s timepieces thus proving their commitment to quality horology. Although they signed the pieces they sold they also still allowed the actual makers to sign their pieces in less obvious places. William Edmead, the clockmaker, engraved his name and address, ‘W Edmead, 14 Gower St. North’, around the center arbor on the front plate. He is listed as working at that address in Britten’s from 1858-64 and 1867-75.
The crest is that of the family Chichester, of Hall, in Bishop’s Tawton, Devonshire.
From White’s Devonshire Directory of 1850 ‘Robt. Chichester, Esq., owns Accot, Hall, Pill, and Halmeston estates, and is now building a large and handsome mansion, in the Elizabethan style, at Hall, the ancient seat of the Hall family, whose heiress brought the estate to the Chichesters.’ The motto of the family, as repeated on the crest, is ‘Firm en Foi’.
One could assume that this magnificent clock was meant to have a prestigious place within the newly built hall. If one also considers not only the exceptional design, but also the individuals involved in the commission and the overall level of quality and complexity this would be an extraordinary addition to any collection.
Height 30.5in.
SOLD

A rare mahogany Biedermeier thirty-day regulator clock. The case has nicely colored and figured mahogany veneer, as best observed on the backboard, and well detailed and modeled carvings around the glazed openings of the front door, at the top and the bottom. The two-piece porcelain dial has black Roman numerals, nicely cut steel hands and a cast ormolu bezel. The time-only thirty-day high quality movement is weight-driven, has a deadbeat escapement and sits upon its original seatboard that slides into two cheeks that are mortised into the backboard. The brass bound weight hangs from a nicely spoked brass pulley. The pendulum hangs by a knife-edge suspension that is mounted to the backboard, has a steel rod and a brass bound lenticular bob. The clock also still retains its original hold-downs, silvered beat scale and ivory handled crank.
This clock is unusual because it is an example of the transitional period between the simpler earlier Viennese clocks with six-panes of glass and the later clocks that had more carvings and only three panes of glass. Inspired by the new designs, but not quite ready to embrace them completely, it has the best of both periods making it both rare and attractive.
Height – 39.5in.
SOLD

An extremely rare gilt-wood eighteenth-century swinging lyre clock with numerous complications that was probably the masterpiece of Johann Hoff. The classically inspired lyre shaped gilt-wood case is decorated with oak and acanthus leaves, has an animated sun and is identical front and back. The eight-day skeletonized Dutch striking movement has a pinwheel escapement that is powered through a remontoir. The large strike train spring is wound each week. When the clock strikes it winds the smaller time spring that in turns drives the time side. Activated by the countwheel and located above the movement is the Perpetual calendar mechanism that rotates the moon on a 29.5-day cycle and indicates the day, month and date on graduated porcelain annular dials. Both the lyre shaped pendulum and the sun above are suspended on knife-edge suspensions and swing in opposite directions while the clock runs. The porcelain dial is signed by the maker, has finely lettered black vertical Roman Numerals for the hours chapter, Arabic five-minute markers, decorative gold dots for the minute marks, wonderful cast and engraved ormolu hands and a sweep second hand. The three porcelain date rings are equally as decorative and fine.
This clock is particularly rare because it combines a skeletonized precision movement with a perpetual calendar, lunar indication and animation all within an attractive case equally as beautiful from the front or the back.
Johan Hoff later became the clockmaker of Frankfurt.
Height- 26in.
SOLD

A very nicely modeled and cast Empire ormolu chariot clock. It depicts an appropriately dressed classical soldier, his spear and shield beside him, driving a chariot pulled by two well cast and particularly animated horses. They all sit upon a double stepped base with four unusually shaped feet and applied mounts all relating to war and victory. The clock is housed in the chariot. The cast dial with Roman numerals and Breguet style hands serves as the wheel and a similarly cast piece on the back continues the illusion. The eight-day twin-barrel movement still retains its original silk-thread suspension, has the fast/slow control knob on the backplate and strikes on a bell.
Stamped on the frontplate of the movement is ‘Cailly ainee’ who were probably the movement makers. This piece was completely restored and is in excellent condition.
Height - 17in.
SOLD

A very high-quality French gilt-bronze gorge-cased miniature carriage clock with enamel panels. The miniature case has particularly fine and crisp engraving throughout all on a finely chased background. The exceptionally detailed Japanesque-style enamel panels, complete with silver and gold gilt, are on a cream colored background and are particularly rare because they are enamel panels meant to resemble the more common porcelain panels of the same design. The enamel dial has stylized Roman numerals, steel spade hands and has the center decorated with chrysanthemum flowers. There are beveled glasses on three sides, the front, top and back door. The eight-day time only movement with original lever balance platform is signed and numbered by the retailer, ‘Leroy & Fils, Paris No. 13140’. It is also has the stamp of the actual maker, Henri Jacot, in the lower right corner of the backplate and is numbered, 3904, on both the movement and the case.
Henri Jacot is listed in several places in Carriage Clocks by Charles Alex as a maker responsible for the production of superb carriage clocks.
The history of L Leroy and Fils is also discussed and interestingly he mentions another clock made by Jacot with Leroy and Fils on the dial.
Height 3in handle down.
3.75in handle up.
SOLD

c.1840 Swiss Enameled Silver Fusee Bird Box, Charles Bruguier 52, Geneve.

A very rare early 19th century enameled silver fusee bird box by the eminent maker Charles Bruguier, Geneve. When the horizontal slide is pushed to the side the lid opens and the small animated bird pops-up, sings a song and then vanishes.
The molded case has deep, crisp expertly executed floral engravings on all sides. The sides and bottom are engraved on an engine turned background while the top is engraved and enameled with colorful bouquets of flowers on a dark blue background. The lid is enameled on both sides with a detailed alpine landscape on the exterior and a bouquet of flowers on a pale blue background on the interior. The gilt bronze engraved fret under the lid hides the mechanism and continues the mystery of where the bird originated and to where it will disappear. The hinged back lifts open to reveal a compartment to hide the key.
The bird itself is covered in hummingbird feathers and like all animated birds in fusee boxes the bird rotates left and right, opens and closes its beak, flaps its wings, moves its tail and rotates its head when the mechanism is activated. Much more complicated than later animated birds, these earlier birds have a multitude of wires, gears and levers within the bird to rotate the head and achieve a more realistic animation. The complexity of the fusee movement is also responsible for the realistic nature of the piece. The small rectangular movement, wound through the base, has a series of cams and levers that control both the movement of the bird and the song. The movement pumps the bellows to fill a chamber with compressed air that is then released through a whistle. The whistle’s pitch is controlled by a piston that in turn is controlled by several cams in the movement. When activated the bird sings a complicated song for approximately 30 seconds and operates three times per wind.
The piece is signed and numbered in several places.
It is stamped ‘C Bruguier, Geneve’ and ‘52’ on the bottom plate of the movement. It is also inscribed by the maker, ‘Charles Bruguier, 5A rue des Paguis, a Geneve, Suisse 52’ along the base.
The case is inscribed 122 in several places.
Charles Abram Bruguier (1788-1862) was one of the great makers of bird automata.
His father, Charles Bruguier, began making bird automata in the late 18th century and Charles Abram continued the tradition well into the 19th century. Their pieces are always of the highest quality.
A custom made traveling case is included.
Size – 2 3/8 x 3 3/4 in.
Retail Price - $ 20,000.