A fine George III paste, silver and enamel-mounted ormolu casket fitted with a clock circa 1790, most probably made for the Chinese market

the domed rectangular hinged top with a clear and ruby-colored paste flowerhead finial flanked by four enamel roundels above a frieze centered by a salmon and clear-colored paste starbursts flanked by enamel roundels, the top opening to an enamel dial clock with Roman chapters and three subsidiary dials, one with STRIKE / SILENT, within a multi-colored paste sunburst before an ormolu lid with acorn finial removed to reveal a velvet-lined well, the case fitted with green and clear-colored paste flower heads and flanked by a pair of bud-form handles with blue and clear-colored paste flowerhead bases and ruby-colored paste finials, the whole raised on stiff-leaved molded feet.  Restorations to dial.

Jeremy Ltd., London, 1992

Overall very good condition; enamel dial restored and with some cracks and lifting to bottom left quadrant; some tarnishing to thin silver mounts around the glass covers to the enamel pendants; few pastes to the upper mount replaced; the enamel birdcage loose from its ground to the front right circular medallion; very minor pitting to the ormolu overall and with very minor rubbing and wear; the white enamel dial restored and with lifting to the restored surface in places; the finial to the removable cover to the interior with losses to foliate banding, now loose and in a bag.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present casket with its colorful paste stars, finely chased ormolu flowers and mounts and Chinoiserie enamel roundels is similar to a number of clocks and nécessaires made for export to China, particularly to the Imperial House and Court during the second half of the 18^th century.  This casket bears striking similarity to a clock made in England for the Emperor Qianlong (reigned 1736-1796) towards the end of his reign, circa 1790, which remains in the Imperial Collection in the Forbidden City.  Both pieces make use of almost identical flower-garland mounts as well as very similar paste oval patera with alternating colors (van Wely, op. cit., no. 14, p. 162, p. 167 illustrated).  It is also interesting to note that the clock incorporates a sweep seconds hand, which is typical of clocks that were made for the Chinese market.  The maker of both objects, working in the English neoclassical style, had a number of printed designs from which to draw inspiration: for example, the paste patera with alternating solid and clear color pastes possibly derives from designs for inlaid patera to table tops and tea caddies, found in George Hepplewhite's The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide, London, third ed. 1794, pls. 57, 59, 61 and 63.

One of the best known of the English jewelers and goldsmiths working in London in the mid-eighteenth century was James Cox (1723-1800) who produced either in gold or gilt metal, watches, automaton and toys related to the present casket.  A number of his pieces survive in various collections, including the British Royal Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and in the Chinese Imperial Collection.  Cox was first apprenticed for seven years to Humphrey Pugh who, although a goldsmith in Fleet Street, his trade card suggests that he was in business as a toyman.  The term is not used in the modern idiom, but describes a maker of small fanciful objects in gold, silver and ormolu set with gems or paste.  Paul Barbot produced very similar work; also the large automaton clocks of Eardley Norton may be compared to Cox's work.

In 1773, Cox claimed in evidence to a Parliamentary Committee that he had 'for about Seven Years past...employed from Eight hundred to One thousand Workmen' indicating his extensive trade, not only for the English market, but also for the East India Company, primarily to India in the late 1760s and early 70s. His other major market was China for the sing song trade, as the market for musical automatons and clocks was described.  The vast number of English automaton clocks and pieces of this sort which remain in the Chinese Imperial collection not only indicates the collecting taste of the Emperor and his court, but confirms Cox's estimation of the number of workman he employed to make these pieces to satisfy the export market.  Therefore it is possible that the present piece was possibly part of the export trade to China, being made by one of the top toymen in England at the last part of the 18th century.

See:

Clare Le Corbeiller, 'James Cox: A Biographical Review', The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 112, No. 807 (June 1970), pp. 31-358

Roger Smith, 'James Cox (c. 1723-1800): A Revised Biography, The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 142, No. 1167 (June 2000), pp. 353-361

Bob van Wely et. al., Treasures from the Forbidden City, Utrecht, 2010, no. 14, pp. 162-167