Clock by Benjamin Vulliamy, England, 1787

V&A — Summary

Object Type As well as keeping time, clocks served as ornaments to be prominently displayed in all the main rooms of the house. Since clocks were so highly valued, they were often lavishly decorated. This one combines an unglazed white porcelain known as 'biscuit' with gilt bronze, elegant marquetry and a painted scene. People The clock was made by the firm of Benjamin Vulliamy, clockmaker to George III. The King was passionately interested in clocks and there is one by Vulliamy, dated 1786 and very similar to this, at Windsor Castle. The London firm of Thomas Brownley, who made the case, specialised in this work. The pedestal was probably painted by Thomas Bromley, a decorative painter. The biscuit figures are based on models that are likely to have been made by John Deare (1759-1798). He was a sculptor from Liverpool and the youngest Royal Academy gold medallist of his day. From 1785 until his death, Deare enjoyed a very successful career in Rome. Subjects Depicted The figures looking at the clock are Venus and Cupid. On the pedestal is the Greek god Apollo, surrounded by the signs of the Zodiac. This scene derives from an engraved gemstone illustrated in Bernard de Montfaucon's Antiquity Explained , published in London between 1721 and 1722.

V&A — Physical description

A clock in a case of marble and Derby porcelain, with gilt-brass mounts, mounted on a tall plinth veneered in satinwood and mahogany, with an oval painted panel showing Apollo driving the chariot of the sun, surrounded by the signs of the zodiac. The top is made with a central, tapering panel, which gives the appearance of a tapering, sculptural plinth. The clock face is mounted in a section of a fluted pillar and a figure of a man in classical drapery is consulting it, and showing it to a child. To the right of the column is a vase.

V&A — Object history

This, and its pair (W.16-1958) were almost certainly made in London by Vulliamy & Son; figures purchased from the Derby porcelain factory; stand probably made in London by Thomas Brownley (active 1768-1803) and probably painted by John Bromley (active 1768-1803). The clocks and barometers sold by the firm of Vulliamy, with their classical sculptural figures, competed in a luxury market in which French products led the field. The design of this stand, and that of the matching barometer nearby, reflect a move towards simplicity that marked Neo-classical design from the late 1780s onwards. Three other, more complex, clocks on similar plinths are known, in the State Dining Room, Buckingham Palace, one in a private collection and one with the Parisian dealer Kugel, shown at TEFAF fair, 2025.

V&A gallery label

PEDESTAL CLOCK ENGLISH; about 1787 Marble mounted in ormolu with figures of Derby porcelain on a satinwood plinth. Signed by Benjamin Vuillamy, Clockmaker to George III. En suite with barometer (W.16-1958).