Dreweatts & Bloomsbury (Dreweatts)
Lot 162
A fine small George III mahogany domestic longcase regulator made for the Middle Eastern market George Prior with movement supplied by John Thwaites, London late 18th century The substantial eight-day centre-seconds movement with bottle-shaped plates united by six distinctive tapered baluster pillars and stamped T. THWAITES over indistinct number 1933 to frontplate, the train with Harrison's maintaining power, high pinion count, six-spoke wheel crossings throughout and Graham type deadbeat escapement with jewelled pallets regulated by wood-rod seconds pendulum with wide-jaw suspension, large brass-faced lenticular bob and calibrated rating nut, the 10 inch ogee-arch shaped brass dial with circular white enamel convex centre signed GEORGE PRIOR, LONDON within 'Turkish' numeral chapter ring and five minutes to outer track, with steel seconds hand and pierced brass hour and minute hands within applied engraved ogee-arch-shaped mask finely decorated with a pendant incense burner within crescent motif flanked by generous foliate scrolls to upper margin over conforming leafy sprays to lower spandrel areas, the case with ogee-arch shaped cavetto moulded cornice and conforming shaped frieze inset with fine scroll-pierced brass sound frets to front over glazed hood door flanked by fluted canted angles and with rectangular brass fishscale fret-backed glazed apertures to sides, the trunk with convex throat moulding over caddy-moulded ogee-arch flame figured veneered door, on plinth base with conforming raised panel to front and double skirt, 194cm (76.5ins) high. Provenance: The estate of a connoisseur collector of regional furniture, works of art and clocks. By repute acquired from a member of the diplomatic service who purchased it from a government department in Istanbul. Of George Prior relatively little is known other than he was born in 1732 and his working dates were 1762-1813. He was based at 31 Prescot Street, Goldman's Fields, London and was succeeded by his son Edward in 1814. John Thwaites was born in 1757 the son of Ainsworth Thwaites who was apprenticed in 1735 and worked from Rosoman Row, Clerkenwell, London 1751-80. Ainsworth was an accomplished maker who supplied the clock for the tower at the Horse Guards Parade, London. John Thwaites succeeded his father, presumably on the latter's death in 1780, before moving to Bowling Green Lane. He worked alone until 1817 when he took his wife s nephew, George Jeremiah Reed, into partnership. John Thwaites and the subsequent partnership were well known for supplying all forms of clocks and movements either wholesale for others to retail, or signed by themselves. The partnership continued under John Thwaite's leadership from several addresses in London until his death in 1842. George Prior predominantly specialised in the supply of clocks and watches to the Ottoman market trading through British merchants based in major Middle Eastern ports such as Istanbul. This lucrative market was built on the historic tradition of presenting clocks and watches to the Ottoman Court since the late 17th century. However, by the end of the 18th century, trade had expanded to the extent that George Prior could not satisfy demand for his products alone hence he collaborated with other makers in order to increase his supply. A natural choice of collaborator was John Thwaites who by the end of the 18th century had established himself as a fine maker willing to supply movements for retail by others. The movement of the current lot can be closely compared with that of a longcase regulator by John Thwaites sold at Christie's, King Street, Important Clocks and Marine Chronometers 13th December 2000, lot 65. Both timepieces share the same 'bottle-shaped' plates, distinctive tapered baluster pillars, wide jaw pendulum suspension, escapement and detailing to the wheelwork. Indeed the only significant difference between these two movements is in the positioning of the train between the plates which varies in order to allow the current lot to have centre seconds (versus standard regulator dial layout). Another example of the collaboration between John Thwaites and George Prior takes the form of an impressive musical table clock residing in the collection of The Victoria and Albert Museum (Museum number W.1:1, 2-1971). This table clock was bequeathed by Lady Lorraine in 1971 and features an almost identical circular enamel dial centre to the current lot, and is housed in a fine gilt brass mounted cream japanned case with cut glass spherical dome surmount and finials. A comparable longcase regulator also made for the Middle-Eastern market by Markwick Markham Borrell, London (with movement probably supplied by John Thwaites) was sold at Christies, King Street, London on the 23rd May 2010 (lot 38) for £23,750.
