A rare kingwood musical automaton and Dutch striking longcase clock, Jan Hendrick Kuhn, Amsterdam, circa 1790

14¼-inch dial with painted corners depicting ladies representing the seasons, the chapter ring with elaborate half hour marks and signed Jan Hendrick Kuhn, Amsterdam, the engraved centre with seconds dial enclosing a date aperture, sectors for day of the week and month with painted symbols, and a moon phase dial with lunar calendar, the arch with a colourful scene depicting godesses playing musical instruments, four with automaton arms, (one arm lacking), the clock movement with French-style deadbeat escapement, with Dutch striking at the hour and half on two bells, the separate weight-driven musical movement with 11½in. x 5½in. pinned wood barrel driving forty nine hammers playing two tunes on a dulcimer fitted to the backboard, the case of good colour with domed caddy cresting inset with frets and surmounted by a bronze figure of the young Atlas supporting an enamelled sphere, flanked by putti carrying palm leaves, further panels of fret on the front and sides and gilt-wood capped hood pillars, the trunk with further frets to the sides, the door inset with a ribbon-tied C scroll and flower blind fret, bombé plinth inlaid with a musical trophy and raised on hairy paw feet

Jan Hendrik Kuhn (1755-1811) was born in Lubeck, Germany and moved to Amsterdam in 1772. He was registered there as a citizen on October 22nd 1775 and built a high reputation for himself as a maker of musical clocks with automata