Lot 28
  • 28

Daniel Quare & Stephen Horseman, London

Estimate
30,000 - 40,000 GBP
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Description

  • A VERY FINE GOLD QUARTER REPEATING PAIR CASED VERGE WATCH CIRCA 1719, NO. 991
  • GOLD
  • diameter of outer case 50 mm, inner case 43 mm
Movement: gilded full plate movement, verge escapement, decoratively pierced and floral engraved balance cock with a shell at the neck, flat three-arm balance with spring, fusee and chain, turned pillars, polished steel hammers repeating on a bell to the inside case back, signed and numbered Quare & Horseman, London, 991, gilt metal dust cap signed Quare & Horseman, London
• Dial: gold champlevé dial, Roman numerals with half hour divisions between and to the ring below, outer Arabic minute ring, blued steel beetle and poker hands, the centre with banners signed Quare & Horseman, London
• Cases: gold inner case pierced for sound emission and decoratively engraved with foliage inhabited by birds and dolphins, a youth's head to the base, possibly Phoebus Apollonumbered 991 beneath the pendant, beneath the bell with maker's mark SL.IL for Sarah Jaques and John Lee and numbered 991 • gold outer case, the pierced band composed of four pierced and chased panels interspersed by four portrait busts one possibly representing Homer, the bezel with four floral medallions between pierced panels, plain central reserve surrounded by embossed shells, flowers, grapes and scrolls, pulse piece to the bezel between 6 and 7 o'clock, maker's mark struck three times AR conjoined in outline cameo, probably for Adam Roumieu the Younger  

Provenance

Richard Bevan, Rector of Abberley (1970s)
Christie’s London, 7th October 1987, lot 16

Exhibited

Hartlebury Museum, Worcestershire, 1968-1987

Literature

Terence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch 1585-1970, 2009, p. 170, pl. 93

Condition

Movement running and repeating at time of cataloguing, pulse piece also activating correctly. Dial in refreshed condition with some re-filling of the black wax/pitch. Inner case with light scuffs/scratches. Engraved decoration with some light rubbing but definition to the features remains good. Outer case with some light scuffs and some rubbing to the decoration but generally decorative scheme remains clear.
"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."

Catalogue Note

When this watch was sold at Christie’s in 1987, the catalogue noted that, according to family tradition, this watch was originally owned by Silvanus Bevan F.R.S. (1691-1765). The watch subsequently passed to Silvanus’s nephew also called Silvanus then through two Richards and two Roberts and finally Richard Bevan, Rector of Abberley who lent the watch to the Hartlebury Museum in Worcestershire from 1968-1987 before its sale at Christie’s.

Like the elder Silvanus Bevan, Daniel Quare was also a Quaker and Quare’s daughter Elisabeth was married to Silvanus. The wedding of Silvanus and Elisabeth Quare was quite a society affair and even the Prince and Princess of Wales were due to attend, however, the Prince and Princess sent their apologies the night before the wedding since a Parliamentary ruling “forbade attendance by the royal family at dissenting places of worship” [see Jagger, C. Royal  Clocks, 1983, p.48]. Nevertheless, many important figures did attend the wedding, including the Duchess of Marlborough and the Venetian Ambassador and his wife – and although the Princess was unable to attend the wedding itself, she did attend the dinner which followed [see op. cit. pp. 47-48]. A Bevan family tradition had stated that the watch was given to Silvanus by Quare on the occasion of his marriage to Quare’s daughter Elisabeth in 1715. However, although this cannot be true as the watch had not yet been made and Elizabeth died in 1718, it does seem unlikely that Silvanus would have carried a watch by any other maker than Quare.

For a note on Daniel Quare and his repeating watches see lot 18.