The Longitude at the Eve of the Third...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Oct 23, 1999

LOT 524

French or Northern European, circa 1580.Fine and extremely rare small gilt bronze table clock still within its original Morocco fitted box.

CHF 60,000 - 80,000

Sold: CHF 63,250

C. Fine double body square Morocco fitted box with tooled decoration, the cover with hinged gilt brass lid over the observation aperture. Gilt bronze square, the moulded side panels engraved with a series of arches, two corner arches pierced for the sound. D. Gilt bronze chapter ring with Roman numerals and touch pieces, the sunk centre engraved with a rosette. Gilt brass single hands centred with the alarm setting disc. M. Square brass full plate with column pillars, fusee with gut line, vergescapement with dumb-bell foliot, hog bristle regulator, large gilt brass irregular cock, pierced and engraved with strawberry flowers and foliage, secured by a screw.Dim. 84 x 85 x 41 mm


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 4

Fair
Movement: * 4
Dial: 4 - 01

Notes

Clocks from the 16th century, preserved in their original travelling fitted box, are extremely rare, even more so, when the travelling box is made of red Morocco with tooled decoration and still in almost perfect condition.Provenance:Previously in the collection of Charles Georgi, one of the commissioner in charge of the Musée rétrospectif de la classe 96 horlogerie (Exposition Universelle de Paris 1900), this clock was exhibited in the showcase dedicated to this celebrated collection. According to Mathieu Planchon, the author of the catalogue, beside his collection of early watches and table clocks, Charles Georgi owned at the time one of the best Cabinet de Curiosité, which helped the organisators to fill most of the gapsn the various classes of the Musée rétrospectif; Mr. Georgi was in fact the main supplier of the exhibition.An impressive gilt bronze automaton pre-balance spring table watch designed as a skull, signed by Nicolaus Schmidtder Junger (Augsburg), circa 1620, from the same Collection was sold by Antiquorum, Geneva, April 24-25, 1999, lot 620.