An ormolu-mounted white marble pendule à cercles tournants, the case and movement probably French 3rd quarter 18th century, with additional mounts attributed to Matthew Boulton

the urn form timepiece with cherub finial flanked by satyr masks and vine swags on a fluted column, the stepped base mounted with a figure of Venus and Cupid

The present clock relates to Boulton's `Venus' clock case, circa 1771 and perfume burner of the same  form and date, illustrated in Nicholas Goodison, Ormolu: The Work of Matthew Boulton,  1974, pls. 44 and 45. Boulton would have been familiar with French clock designs and doubtless this knowledge inspired his own creations. Besides demonstrating these cross-currents of  influence, the offered lot also represents an unusual hybrid of English and French elements. Interestingly, the Venus clock was Boulton's only horological design to employ a horizontal movement.

It is possible that the mounts on this clock that can be attributed to Boulton's workshop originally formed part of one of the lots disposed of by Boulton and Fothergill in either of the sales at Christie and Ansell's held in 1771 and 1778.  However, it is more likely that they were purchased after the latter date when the ormolu trade had significantly declined and remnants of incomplete stock were sold off.  Indeed the inventory of stock occasioned by John Fothergill's death in 1782 itemises a relatively small quantity of ormolu pieces in Richard Bentley's workshop including Belisarius, Narcissus and Venus clock cases, and Venus vases which were recorded in the `Toy Room'. The completed pieces which were stored in `Warehouse No. 17' were `very old and mostly damaged' and their values considerably written down. Certain items of this old stock such as the Narcissus and Venus vases can be recognised as having been unsold in the 1778 sale (see Goodison op. cit., p. 44).