Quarter-Striking Table Clock with Musical Automata

This rare table clock exhibits the finest artistry of English clocks for the Chinese market. This extraordinary clock features an enamel dial with center seconds flanked by subsidiary dials for strike/silent and tune selection. On the hour an automaton scene comes to life below the dial: European figures cross a bridge, as water appears to rush underneath it. This bridge/gallery was a favorite motif of Carpenter. Movement, signed Willm Carpenter, London, strikes the hours and quarter hours on two bells, playing one of six tunes on the hour on a carillon of ten bells. Drum case has a bezel of paste-set gems. The clock rests on four fire-gilt elephants, the whole on a checkerboard wood base.

William Carpenter was a tremendously talented London maker about whom little is known. He is renowned for his elaborate musical and automaton clocks made for the Eastern markets. Few of his timepieces survive, but those that do reside in the finest collections, including the Palace Museum of Beijing and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.