A RARE IMPERIAL ORMOLU, WHITE MARBLE AND PASTE-SET 'DOUBLE-GOURD' CLOCK WITH SWINGING DIAL QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

lavishly modelled after Western designs, the ormolu 'double-gourd' framework rising from a stylised splayed beaded-edged foot with foliate designs to an elaborate gilt-metal mount in the form of ruyi blooms flanked by curling foliate flanges and topped by a ‘pineapple’ finial, the frame skilfully fashioned with an outer foliate border and an inner beaded border enclosing neatly aligned turquoise paste gems, enclosing a vertical bar set with multi-coloured paste gems and suspending a medallion and dial, the medallion framed within the upper section of the ‘double-gourd’ and bordered with red paste gems, further decorated with a basket of flowers against a blue ground, the lower section with a swinging white dial edged with an ormolu border and paste gems of varying colours, the white dial with crossed minute track, Roman hour chapters and Arabic quarters, decorated with a blued steel second hand and pierced ormolu hour and minute hands, all supported on a splayed marble base encircled with an openwork ormolu stylised lotus scroll, the reverse of the dial with an inscription reading Lululi, zitan stand

Collection of the Nezu Museum, Tokyo.
Christie's Hong Kong, 27th May 2008, lot 1501.

Elegant for its luxurious yet restrained use of soft-paste stone and ormolu framework, the form of this clock probably derives from lyre clocks of the late Louis XVI period in France, which have been adapted slightly to the classic Chinese double-gourd form. The double-gourd is symbolic of fertility and good fortune and further auspicious motifs are seen in the upside-down bat, representative of ‘blessings have arrived’ (fudao) and the basket of flowers to depict longevity, as it is an emblem of Lan Caihe, one of the Eight Daoist Immortals. This French-inspired case which has been adapted to suit Chinese taste has also been combined with English clock characteristics, such as the crossed minute track and simple pierced hands of the dial.

Double-gourd shape clocks are relatively rare; see two in the Palace Museum, Beijing, surmounted on elaborate bases, published in The 200 Pieces You Should Know. Timepieces, Beijing, 2007, pls. 42 and 48; another sold in these rooms, 28th October 1992, lot 267, and again at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29th May 2007, lot 1392; and a fourth clock sold in our London rooms, 12th June 1990, lot 128.

From the time the first clocks were brought to China from Europe around 1582, the Chinese emperors were fascinated with European mechanical clockworks. As objects of curiosity and items of luxury, contemporaneous sources suggest that by the end of the first quarter of the eighteenth century, clocks in the Palace numbered in their thousands. The Qianlong Emperor in particular was an avid collector of all types of timepieces and automatons and his enthusiasm for both European and Chinese-made clocks and watches was limitless. He had thousands of European and Chinese clocks in his collection that were aimed at mesmerising the beholder and prized for their novelty and design. There were more than 4,000 examples in the Imperial Palaces, and their chiming was heard throughout the day.

Representing the Emperor's power and status, these extravagant timepieces were also regarded as the epitome of 'Western' style and design. By the mid-eighteenth century, the fashion for Western clocks had disseminated from the Imperial Court to the elite of Chinese society, often rivalling the Emperor's own collection of clocks.