Clocks · Clock
Circa 1891 Royal Worcester Porcelain Lyre Mantel Clock
- Maker / attribution
- Royal Worcester (maker)
- Date
- c. 1891
- Historical period
- Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Clock
- Materials / technique
- porcelain, gilt
- Auction house
- LiveAuctioneers auction archive
- Lot
- Item 107541626
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: lot 398, INTERNATIONAL FINE ART, ANTIQUES & JEWELRY, Shapiro Auctions (2021), via LiveAuctioneers
- Catalogue title (original)
- CIRCA 1891 ROYAL WORCESTER PORCELAIN LYRE MANTLE CLOCK (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 107541626), this is a clock by Royal Worcester, dated c. 1891. The Atlas places it in the Industrial Revolution period (1850 – 1900) of its Clocks collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: porcelain, gilt. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Lot description — Shapiro Auctions
CIRCA 1891 ROYAL WORCESTER PORCELAIN LYRE MANTLE CLOCK formed as a lyre, the porcelain clock face, with Arabic numerals with a continuous garland swag, gilt hands, the body with blush ivory colours with gilt accents, marked with factory mark in purple underglaze, registered numeral no. 130273 and numeral 1385 in purple underglaze, numerals 27 in blue underglaze and impressed numeral I in paste all under base, interior of clock with serial number 22110 with a single numeral of 1 stamped on back behind in encasement; overall height: 41 cm (16 1/8 in.) CONDITION The clock appears in age-appropriate condition. Rubbing to the gilt accents. Surface soiling to the porcelain clock face. Please note the clock is not in working condition. Inspection under UV shows no apparent signs of restoration. N.B. All lots are sold in as-is condition at the time of sale. Please note that any condition statement regarding works of art is given as a courtesy to our clients in order to assist them in assessing the condition. The report is a genuine opinion held by Shapiro Auctions and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report or a photograph does not preclude the absence of defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Shapiro Auctions, LLC., including its consultants and agents, shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.
Historical context
Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)
American interchangeable-parts manufacture; railroad time standards; Swiss and German factory systems.
Factory production transformed the clock into an everyday object. American makers (Seth Thomas, Ansonia, Waterbury) and German factories (Junghans, Gustav Becker, Lenzkirch) sold millions of shelf, wall and alarm clocks worldwide; France produced standardised Paris movements and carriage clocks; electric time distribution began.
Read the period in the timelineMore clocks from this periodEarlier: Precision & Scientific Horology
Atlas type guide
Mantel and French pendule clocks
The mantel clock — the French pendule de cheminée — is as much decorative art as timekeeper. From the late seventeenth century Parisian clockmakers worked with cabinet-makers, bronze founders and gilders (ciseleurs-doreurs) to create cases in Boulle marquetry, gilt bronze and marble, while the movements were often supplied by specialist makers. Clocks of the Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI periods, and Empire clocks with allegorical figures, set fashions copied across Europe.
The nineteenth century industrialised the type. The 'Paris movement', a standardised round movement with silk-thread or Brocot suspension and count-wheel striking, was made in huge numbers by firms such as Japy and Vincenti, and fitted into cases of every style and material.
What to look for
- Round 'Paris' movements with makers' stamps (e.g. Japy Frères, Vincenti, S. Marti) and medal marks from exhibitions.
- Suspension type: silk thread (earlier) or Brocot adjustable suspension (after c. 1840).
- Visible Brocot escapement on the dial in later clocks.
- Fire-gilt (mercury) gilding on bronzes versus later electro-gilding.
- Signed dials naming a retailer rather than the movement maker.
Dating clues
- Silk-suspension Paris movements: c. 1800–1850.
- Brocot suspension and visible escapements: after c. 1840.
- Exhibition medal stamps on movements give dates after the medal year.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
Read next:Anchor (recoil) escapement
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