The Coade Clock case with the Movement by Francis Perigal.

 

15in; 38.5cm high.

5-inch enamel associated dial with regulation lever above XII, the fusee movement with anchor escapement, arched plates, signed on the backplate Francis Perigal, Royal Exchange, London, the restored drum case surmounted by an urn and eagle and flanked by seated female figures depicting spring and autumn, the plinth impressed Coade, Lambeth.

Sotheby's Condition report "Dial probably later associated, bezel repaired/adapted. Movement is complete and look as though it would run but may benefit from a clean and fresh oil. Case has been cleaned and restored and is in good condition throughout with very minor edge chips to the plinth base. With pendulum but no winder".

 

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/furniture-silver-clocks-ceramics/a-rare-george-iii-coade-stone-mantel-timepiece

As an Antique dealer one occasionally comes across the opportunity to purchase a real masterpiece - in 2005 this was one of those occasions - at the sale of The David Style Collection, Christie's, South Kensington, 7th June 2005, lot 214 when I was lucky enough to buy this clock.

It had been much overpainted and most of the fine detail had been obscured., the paint had protected the surface. The eagles head had at some point had been detached and glued back on. The urn surmounting the clock was missing.

After its purchase after some experimentation I used a peel and strip paint stripper which after very careful stripping and cleaning with a pressure house.

This revealed the exquisite and very fine detail of this masterpiece in Coade's Artificial stone.

................................

The Coade Clock at Christie's.

Lot 214.

The Catalogue description -

"Designed in the George III French/Grecian fashion promoted by the court architect and furniture 'connoisseur' Sir William Chambers (d.1796), and relates to his 1780 clock design for the Society of Antiquaries' Somerset House rooms (J. Harris and M. Snodin, Sir William Chambers, London, 1997, fig 254). The figures can be related to those of the Earl of Chatham's Westminster Abbey monument, which the sculptor John Bacon, R.A. (d.1799) designed in 1778, at a period that he was executing sculpture for the embellishment of Chambers' Somerset House. He had previously designed related figures of the Seasons for Champion's Bristol porcelain factory in the early 1770s, when he first joined Mrs Eleanor Coade's Artificial Stone Manufactory at Lambeth (T. Clifford, John Bacon and the Manufacturers, Apollo, October 1985, pp.288- 303 fig 2).

The 1784 Descriptive Catalogue of COADE'S Artificial Stone Manufactory lists under Section XXVII 'Pieces of Furniture and various ornaments, no.525 , Clock-case, with two sitting Figures, Spring and Autumn; an Eagle on the Top, 1ft. 5¼ins long'. Alison Kelly (Mrs Coade's Stone, Upton-upon-Severn, 1990) mentions that the clock bears a resemblance to a similar design by Adam and Vulliamy and sculpted by John Bacon for George III. The only other Coade clock case, which is an oval plaque with Father Time, is not listed in the above catalogue but is listed in the publication of items in Coade's Gallery. An example of this model was most recently sold Sotheby's, 22 May 2002, lot 544, it was dated 1794".

https://www.christies.com.cn/zh-cn/lot/lot-4513251

..............................

The Coade Clock in the workshop at Messrs Coade of Wilton House, Wiltshire.

https://coade.co.uk/

A very low resolution photograph of the clock after it had been stripped of paint - it gives a fair impression of the condition - the Urn was missing and the head of the eagle had become detached.

Overall the clock case was in very good condition.

.......................

The Coade figure of Chronos (Time) sundial

Chronos or Father Time, bearing an hour-glass (now missing), is perched on rocks and serves as a caryatid for a sun-dial disc with reed-gadrooned edge. The modelling closely relates to that of Coade's River God figure, noted in the catalogue of 1784, and can be attributed to the sculptor John Bacon (d.1799), with whom Mrs Eleanor Coade (d.1796) was in partnership (see A. Kelly, Mrs Coade's Stone, Worcs., 1990. p.62). The same Chronos figure is featured alongside the sarcophagus of Dame Anne Henniker (d.1793) in Rochester Cathedral and its design appears to have been mistakenly attributed to the sculptor Thomas Banks in the Gentleman's Magazine, 1794, part 1, p.410. (see A. Kelly, op cit p.250). Father Time attempting to destroy Sculpture featured as the frontispiece to the book of etchings of Coade's Gallery, which also includes this figure (see Kelly, op cit, p.66). Another sun-dial commissioned by the architect Sir John Soane (d.1837) is discussed by A. Kelly, Sir John Soane and Mrs Eleanor Coade, Apollo, 1989; while one purchased by James Baxter for his Turnham Green house in July 1818 was described as "A statue of Time with scythe and hour-glass complete with rustic plinth. 18 pounds. (A. Kelly, op cit, 1990, p.144).