A FINE FRENCH CHAMPLEVE ENAMELLED GILT BAMBOO CASED CENTRE-S...

Estimate

£3,000 - £4,000

A FINE FRENCH CHAMPLEVE ENAMELLED GILT BAMBOO CASED CENTRE-SECONDS REPEATING ALARM CARRIAGE CLOCKUNSIGNED, PARIS, LATE 19th CENTURYThe two train eight-day gong striking movement with silvered platform lever escapement regulated by sprung bimetallic balance, the inside of the frontplate indistinctly stamped with number 559 to lower margin, the backplate with alarm mechanism with hammer sounding on the hour gong to upper left corner and stamped with number 11355 to lower left, the circular gilt Roman numeral dial with blued steel hands incorporating sweep centre seconds, set within rectangular champleve enamelled mask polychrome decorated in the Japonesque style with floral blooms and leafy trails into a turquoise blue ground and incorporating gilt Arabic alarm setting dial to lower margin, the bevel-gazed case with frame modelled to resemble sections of bamboo overlapping at the corners and with each segment champlevé enamelled with further polychrome floral sprays into a turquoise blue ground ground, with conforming hinged carrying handle to the gilt panel-glazed top, pin-hinged glazed door to rear and on angled bamboo feet. 16.5cm (6.5ins) high with handle down, 11cm (4.25ins) wide, 9.5cm (3.75ins) deep.French carriage clocks in bamboo cases which feature enamelled decoration to the frame itself are particularly notable in their rarity. A centre-seconds clock (but with plain white enamel dial), with closely related enamel decoration to the frame of the current lot, is illustrated in Roberts, Derek CARRIAGE and Other Travelling Clocks on page 202 (Figure 12.9). Another very similar clock to the present example, but with cream ground to the enamel and no centre seconds, was sold in these rooms FINE CLOCKS, BAROMETERS & SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2nd October 2019 (lot 129) for £2,400 hammer.