Derby Biscuit Porcelain Mantel Clock with Revolving Chapter Rings, 'Andromache'

This clock belongs to a group of ornamental clocks made mainly in the 1780s and early 1790s, which represent a high point of neoclassical design in British decorative art. Benjamin Vulliamy (1747-1811) wanted to produce a range of superior English ornamental clocks that would overcome “The great preference the English ... give to French work, inasmuch that in most gentlemen's houses when there is an ornamental clock it is a French one”. Despite the challenges, Vulliamy succeeded admirably in his objectives. This was still a major commercial and artistic undertaking, described by a German traveler approvingly for its “noble simplicity” contrasted with the luxury and magnificence of French clocks.

However, as Vulliamy was to discover, these designs came at a cost. Vulliamy’s decision to make the figures in biscuit porcelain rather than the ormolu or bronze used by his French competitors posed serious problems.

The task was entrusted to the Derby Porcelain Manufactory, the only British porcelain maker at that time that was able to produce such large figures. The use of biscuit porcelain, echoing Parisian marble, contributed to the neoclassical elegance of these clocks, but it also greatly increased the difficulties of production. The soft paste porcelain was difficult to control in the kiln, and producing large figures to the very precise sizes, conformation and color required by Vulliamy's designs caused major problems, leading to considerable delays and waste.

Ultimately, these clocks proved to be very expensive to produce, appealing to only the upper levels of society and royalty. Very few have survived due to the fragile nature of the material, making this piece especially rare.