The Mondani Collection of Rolex Wrist...

Geneva, May 14, 2006

LOT 833

?The Grand Castle Rolling Ball Clock? Probably South German. Made in the late 17th century. Very fine and spectacular, musical, painted, laquered and mirrored wood table clock in the form of a castle with four dials and helical rolling ball activated musical mechanism powering the lift of the ball.

CHF 100,000 - 200,000

EUR 65,000 - 130,000 / USD 80,000 - 155,000

Sold: CHF 152,500

C. In the form of a four-square castle, decorated throughout with polychrome painted trompe l?oeil, inclined base painted to simulate brickwork with arched windows and slits, seven tiers supported by polychrome painted half-pillars and surmounted by a domed cupola, the interiors with checkerboard and strapwork floors and mirrored walls, some painted with figures, each tier balustraded and with a small corner turret, the tier below the dials enclosing the helical channel for the rolling ball, from the helix the ball traverses the periphery of each tier into the base, four corner turrets with domed cupolas and balustraded staircases, raised on four turned feet. D. Four square brass dials, each with engraved foliate spandrels and central flower rosette, silvered chapter ring with radial Roman numerals and inner half-hour markers. Blued steel ?Tulip? hands. M. Rectangular brass plates, brass toothed wheel at right angles driving a long steel rod connected to the wheel driving the four hour wheels at the top. Musical movement: with pinned wooden cylinder and 12 bells, activated on the hour or at will by the rolling ball and powering the return ascent of the ball to the top of the case, levers for ball release and start/stop below the dial. Dim. 127 x 90 x 90 cm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3-23

Good

Later
Movement: 3-23

Good

Later
Dial: 3-03

Good

HANDS Period

Notes

This fascinating clock is driven by spring barrels in the traditional way and the dials are geared to a steel rod connected to the movement in the base. However, at the hour or at will, a ball traverses down the helix and around the periphery of each floor of the case until it reaches the base. Upon reaching the base, the musical movement is triggered and whilst the music plays, the ball is returned to the top by the power from the musical train. The case is possibly based on a real building and retains much of its original painted and laquered decoration. The mirrored interior walls and pillars are reminiscent of the interiors of mid to late 17th Century collectors? cabinets. In ?The Clockwork Universe,? Maurice & Mayr illustrate a table clock by Nikolaus Radeloff, Schleswig, 1652 (No. 60, p. 232). The distinguishing feature of that clock from the present clock is that it is powered by balls. The balls are confined to a rotating cage and descend along a vertically oriented helix. As they descend, they cause their confining cage to rotate, thus driving the train. This is the reverse of most ball mechanisms: instead of the mechanism moving the ball, the ball moves the mechanism. There are a great many variations of the rolling ball mechanism but the present clock is the only known example where the ball is lifted back to the top of the case by another mechanism.