Musical table hour striking clock
Musical table hour striking clock
Great Britain, London
Circa 1775
Eardley Norton
Wood, metal, steel, brass, enamel, bronze, glass, fabric; casting, gilding, mechanical and carpentry work, painting, coloring, varnishing, polishing
Height 29.85 cm
On the dial and mounting plate: Eardley Norton”, “London”. On small dials: “CHIME”, “NOT CHIME”, “COTILLION”, “MINUET”, “MARCH”, “MINUET”, “COTILLION”, “AIR”
Table clock in wooden case of complex shape, black, on profiled base, with arched lid, on four gilded bronze supports in the form of acanthus leaves. Glazed doors with locks close the case front and rear sides, lateral ribs are decorated with gilded bronze scallops. Openwork lattices, covered with red fabric from the inner side and cords for the musical movement random activation and its striking are on the case lateral sides. Floral painting is on the surface, white enamel dial with three apertures for winding the clock escapement, striking and musical movement, with Roman numerals for hours’ designation, Arabic numerals for minutes’ designation in five divisions, two Breguet hands and the maker's signature “Eardley Norton/London”. Two small dials with tunes indicator and strike on/off indicator are on the dial bottom. The clockwork is pendulum with verge escapement, hour strike, three fusees and spring motors. Hour striking is accompanied by performance of one of six tunes on eight bells with eight hammers. Engraved foliage pattern and maker’s signature are on the mounting plate.
Eardley Norton (1728 – 1792) is one of the prominent and talented clockmakers of the second half
of the 18th century. He was admitted to the Clockmakers Company in 1762 and marked as
manufacturer from 1771 to 1794. He was appointed the Royal Clockmaker
Watchmaker of the King George III and created an Astronomical clock with four
dials for the Buckingham House Library (presently the Buckingham Palace,
London). Nowadays the items are a part of the Royal
Collection.
Инв.2158ММП/ДПИ