A Fine Silvered, Gilt-Brass and Blue Glass Quarter Striking Musical Automaton Table Clock, Francis Perigal, Royal Exchange, London, Circa 1790

4¼-inch enamel dial with centre seconds and signed Perigal, Royal Exchange, London, within a silver and champleve enamel surround and with subsidiary dial for chime/silent and tune selaction to the lower corners, the arch with a painted automaton scene with figures walking in a rural landscape, the substantial three train fusee movement with verge escapement, quarter striking on two bells and playing one of four tunes on the hour or at will on a nest of ten bells with ten hammers, the foliate engraved backplate signed as the dial, the gothic revival case surmounted by a cupola with flambeau finial, the open gallery containing automaton ships encircling a fixed group of waterfall rods, the body of the case with further automaton scenes to the sides displaying birds flying in rural scenes, the four sides with blue glass ground

Collection of Gustave Loup, Geneva.

A. Chapuis and E. Gelis, Le Mondes Des Automates Vol. 1, Paris, 1928, pl. 202.
Dr I. White,  English Clocks for the Eastern Markets. English Clockmakers Trading in China & the Ottoman Empire 1580-1815,  London, 2012.

Dial in generally good condition but with hair crack between I and II. Movement is clean and running at time of cataloguing, top automaton rather sticky and may require attention. Case has recently been restored, right side glass panel cracked. With winder.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. All dimensions in catalogue descriptions are approximate. Condition reports may not specify mechanical replacements or imperfections to the movement, case, dial, pendulum, separate base(s) or dome. Watches in water-resistant cases have been opened to examine movements but no warranties are made that the watches are currently water-resistant. Please note that we do not guarantee the authenticity of any individual component parts, such as wheels, hands, crowns, crystals, screws, bracelets and leather bands, since subsequent repairs and restoration work may have resulted in the replacement of original parts. 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. In particular, please note it is the purchaser's responsibility to comply with any applicable import and export matters, particularly in relation to lots incorporating materials from endangered species.NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

**Please be advised that bands made of materials derived from endangered or otherwise protected species (i.e. alligator and crocodile) are not sold with the watches and are for display purposes only. We reserve the right to remove these bands prior to shipping.

Important Notice regarding importation into the United States of Rolex watches
Sotheby's cannot arrange for the delivery of Rolex watches to the United States because U.S. laws restricts the import of Rolex watches. The buyer or a designated agent may collect the property in the country of sale."

For other Chinese Market clocks from the collection of Gustave Loup owned by him during the same period, see A. Chapuis and E. Gelis, op.cit., pp 256-258 and 260.

For another important clock for the Chinese Market from the Gustave Loup Collection and thought to have been purchased in China by Loup, see one sold in our New York rooms, 18th October 2006, lot 372.

The design of this magnificent clock combines the creativity, opulence and novelty that characterise so many of the finest works of art destined for use by the Chinese emperors in the 18th century. The eye-catching performance of the figures on the dial and sides, accompanied by the music work and chiming bells still serves to astonish and amuse the present day connoisseur, as it did over two hundred years ago when the clock was made.

Francis Perigal is listed as being made a Freeman of the Clockmakers' Company in 1770 and Master in 1806. He was clockmaker to the King and considered a fine clock maker who specialised in musical automaton clocks for the Chinese and Turkish markets. He died in 1824.

It is interesting to note that an example similar to this clock by Perigal is in the Palace Collection, Beijing, included in the exhibition, Timepieces of the Collection from the Palace Museum, Macau Museum of Art, Macau, 2004-2005, p. 61 and Timepieces Collected by Qing Emperors, Palace Museum, Beijing, p. 198.

The provenance of the present clock is perhaps as interesting as the clock itself. Much has been written about the export of European watches and clocks to China, however, less is known about those individuals who reversed the trade and brought these masterpieces back to the West.

Gustave Loup was well-known in horological circles in the early 20th century for his impressive Chinese market collection and his unmatched knowledge of horological export to China. Following his death, little is known about what became of his collection and his contribution to this market fell somewhat into obscurity. The renewed focus on Chinese market pieces by modern collectors brings new attention to this fascinating figure.

Much of what is known of Loup is based largely on the scholarly writings of Alfred Chapuis, the famed Swiss horological author and scholar working in the first half of the 20th century. He met Loup in Geneva in 1914 and viewed his astonishing collection for the first time. Subsequently, the two became good friends and collaborators and in 1919, they published Le Montre Chinois, which features more than 70 watches from Loup's personal collection.

Chapuis notes that "his collecting reversed that trade and brought back to Switzerland a collection as the living and sumptuous witnesses of the Art of Western ancient artisans and watchmakers."

Loup was born in the late 19th century to a Swiss watchmaking family living in China. At the time of his birth, it is thought the family was based in Tianjin. His father Pierre was living and working for Vaucher Frères in Hong Kong as early as 1859. In 1881, the family purchased Vrard & Co., which had premises in Tianjin and Beijing. Gustave Loup was thus uniquely positioned to enjoy a century's worth of horological works exported from England, Switzerland and France to China and figures prominently in the story of the Western repatriation of Chinese market horological masterpieces.

During Loup's life, parts of his 200-piece collection were displayed in several important museums and exhibitions in Switzerland: The Museum of Decorative Arts in Geneva, 1914; The Retrospective Exhibition of the Fair of Watch-making in Geneva, 1920; Display Rooms of Watch-Making, La Chaux-de-Fonds, 1932-33. In the La Chaux-de-Fonds exhibition, Chapuis described Loup's pieces as 'enlivened with automata and displaying amusing effects.'

Loup finally settled in Geneva following years of shuttling between Swizerland and China. His last trips east occurred between 1922-1925 and 1928-1930. Chapuis notes that he devoted these trips to enriching his collection. Loup's knowledge was so respected in China at the time that he was asked twice to be a horological conservator of the Palace Museum. Though he declined these offers, he later regretted the decision, thinking he could have exerted an influence to keep the Palace Collection intact.