Dreweatts Donnington Priory Salerooms
Lot 113
A George III gilt brass mounted mahogany musical table clock, The dial signed for Edward Ellicott, London, circa 1790, The substantial five pillar back-wound movement playing a choice of five tunes via a pinned cylinder on a nest of eight graduated bells after striking the hour on an additional larger bell, the backplate incorporating projecting feet to the lower corners and engraved with fine open rococo scrolls around a central basket of flowers within decorative line borders, the convex white Roman numeral dial inscribed EDÂ’WD ELLICOTT to centre and with pierced blued steel hands within outer minute track and slender brass bezel fitted to the 8 inch full-arch white painted dial plate polychrome decorated with dancing musicians beneath applied curved tune selection sector inscribed SONG, JIGG, MINUETT, AIR and COTILLION to arch, the break-arch case with concave sided plinth for the central brass vase finial flanked by four further finials and applied symmetrical rococo scroll cast mounts to the sides of the arch, the front with heavy acanthus cast brass arched door flanked by female caryatids applied to the canted angles, the sides with hinged carrying handles above sunburst mask centred scroll cast arched brass sound frets, the rear with arch glazed door, on cavetto moulded skirt base with scroll feet, 54.5cm (21.5ins) high. Two generations of the celebrated Ellicott family with forename Edward are recorded working in London in around 1790. Edward (I) is listed in Loomes, Brian Watchmakers & Clockmakers of the World, Volume 2 as son of John (II) working from Royal Exchange, London 1753-91, he was appointed watchmaker to the King. His son, Edward (II) is listed as free of the ClockmakersÂ’ Company in 1795 and was appointed Master in 1835 but did not live to see out his term. The current lot is an attractive model clearly made in a workshop used to producing clocks for the Export market. The back-winding is typical of examples made for export to China as the Chinese prefer clock dials to be free of winding holes, and the heavy foliate cast gilt brass front door is of a type more often seen on examples exported to the Middle-East (see Barder, Richard C.R. The Georgian Bracket Clock 1714-1830 pages 160-1 colour plates 22-4).
![French Educational Playing Cards Jouy (E[tienne de]), Septieme Jue de Cartes Historiques, Vie de Jesus-Christ, nd. [early 19](http://lot-images.atgmedia.com/SR/10041/2910667/29-20148612944_468x382.jpg)
