A good mid-late 19th century French brass table regulator with perpetual calendar and moonphasePhilibert Bally, Paris, and Japy Frères No. 1855The concave cornice over two glazed sides and glazed doors, raised on a moulded brass base. The Roman dial with Breguet style hands and recessed centre with visible jewelled Brocot escapement, signed Pert Bally Paris, the lower dial displaying phases of the moon, month, day, leap year indication and date, personifications of Spring and Autumn painted in delicate colours to either side, all dials sunk into the florally engraved brass mask. The twin spring barrel movement with visible jewelled Brocot escapement, and outside countwheel striking on a bell, the backplate stamped 1855 above the stamps for Philibert Bally and Japy Frères. Striking the half and full hours with a winding key and three bar gridiron pendulum. 42cms (16.5ins) highFootnotes:Antoine-Philibert Bally is first recorded in 1844 at the National Exposition in Paris. It is not known where he served his apprenticeship. In August 1847, he took out a patent for a new method of cutting anchor escapements. He is noted as working out of number 25 Notre Dame de Nazareth at this point. He exhibited at the National Expositions in 1849 and 1851; he also took out another patent in the latter year for his 'étouffoir économique', roughly translated as an 'affordable damper/extinguisher'. In the patent, he is recorded as still working out of number 25 and described simply as a Parisienne horologist. Less then a year later, Bally had taken out another patent, for a mechanical perpetual calendar. He had apparently moved to number 26 and was described as a clock and watch maker. Interestingly, he took the patent out together with Dumouchel, who was described as a Parisienne horologist working out of number 4 Rue de Bretagne. Based on the descriptions, it is possible that Dumouchel had the basic idea for the calendar, and Bally was able to supply the practical knowledge which turned the theory into reality, though this remains speculative. This partnership, if that is what it was, does not appear to have produced more patents; in 1853 Bally took out a patent on his own for a repeating alarm clock, presumably including the new mechanism in his exhibit at the National Exposition of that year. The alarm clock would sound the hour at the appointed time, and then repeat the hour every five minutes until turned off. He is again described as a Parisienne horologist, working out of 25 Notre Dame de Nazareth. This patent seems to have attracted notice; over forty years later, Bally would be grouped together with the likes of Brocot and regarded as an original and inventive horologist. Bally exhibited at the 1855 National Exposition, and his next patent was taken out in 1857, for an eccentric remontoir; unfortunately, the details of this remontoir are not known. His address was listed as 46 Rue de Bondy; it seems likely he moved at some point between 1855-1856. Bally next exhibited at the 1861 exposition, possibly winning bronze, though this is not confirmed. He was still working at 46 Rue de Bondy in 1864, when he patented a new method for turning tallow into stearic acid. Stearic acid has been used as a foodstuff, but also in candle and soap making, the latter most endeavour possibly being how he came upon the method as a working horologist. In this same year, he was advertising the shop as Maison Philibert Bally and boasting a wide range of bronze statues and clock cases, all types of pendulum clocks, candelabras, wood sculptures and a number of different horological curiosities. In April of 1864, he exhibited his stock to the public over two days, before auctioning off a significant amount of it between 25-29 April. The auction appears to have been significant as catalogues were even printed; Catalogue des modèles et surmoulés en bronze de la Maison Philibert Bally, fabricant de bronzes d'art et d'horlogerie. It is unclear if the auction was to divest excess stock or indicated financial need on Bally's part.In 1865, it appears that Bally took out another patent, for a device to improve the precision of bottle making. Unfortunately, no address is listed in the patent application, the application itself being taken out by Vinck, in 33 Boulevard St.-Martin. In 1867, a patent was taken out for an 'Advanced pendulum balance', with Vinck again listed as the representative. This same year, Bally exhibited at the National Exposition, possibly with the pendulum balance. The following year, Bally patented a new type of grande sonnerie movement and his address was listed as 14 Rue d'Aboukir. It appears that this was Bally's new shop, though exactly when he moved in is unclear.In 1872, he took out a patent, again with Vinck's representation, for a new type of candle-lit night clock. This patent was apparently quite a success; Bally was mentioned in an 1875 horology book as one of the preeminent makers of such clocks, the author dismissively noting that Bally 'even made pretensions toward regulating them'. In 1877, a novel bed was patented by a Bally, working out of 83 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. It cannot be confirmed if this was Philibert, if so, it would suggest another change of address. If this was Philibert, it would be the last patent he took out, as he seems to have died sometime around 1877. One of his patents, the improved bottle making device, came up for renewal in 1879. The renewal was filed by his wife, who was noted as 'the widow Bally'. As there are no other patents filed under Bally's name after this point, or any advertisements placed in trade journals after 1876, it seems likely that he died around this time.The Revue Chronométrique would later remember Bally, around the turn of the century, as a skilled horological innovator, writing several paragraphs about his repeating alarm patent. Regulators appear to have been a preference for Bally; an ebony regulator by him was sold in a house sale in 1892. In the catalogue, the regulator is described simply as being from 'chez Bally'.Firmin-Didot, A. (1857-1880) Annuaire-almanach du commerce, de l'industrie, de la magistrature et de l'administration. Paris: Firmin-Didot frères.(1864) Catalogue des modèles et surmoulés en bronze de la Maison Philibert Bally, fabricant de bronzes d'art et d'horlogerie. Paris: Renou et Maulde.Requier, C. (1898) 'Les Réveils a Répétition', Revue chronométrique: journal des horlogers, scientifique et pratique, No. 496, pg. 11.Anquetin, M. (1875) L'horlogerie : des montres en général, de ceux qui les font, de ceux qui les vendent, de ceux qui les réparent et de ceux qui les portent. Paris: Modeste Anquetin, pg.129. Ministère du Commerce (1851-1880) Catalogue des brevets d'invention. Paris: J. Tremblay.(1864) Le Constitutionnel: Journal politique, littéraire, universel, 19 April, pg. 2. Mannheim, C. (1892) Catalogue des objets d'art et d'ameublement, faïences italiennes et autres, porcelaines de Saxe, de Sèvres, de Chantilly, de Chine et du Japon. Paris: E. Ménard et Cie.La Nature (1905) 'Calendrier Perpétuel Automatique', Revue chronométrique: journal des horlogers, scientifique et pratique, No. 581, pg. 220.National Center for Biotechnology Information (2023) PubChem Compound Summary for CID 5281, Stearic Acid. Available at: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Stearic-Acid.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
