George Goodman, London

• Movement: full plate gilded, verge escapement, decoratively pierced and floral engraved balance cock, plain flat balance, fusee and chain, baluster pillars • movement signed Geo.
Goodman, London 21619
• Dial: white enamel, Roman numerals, outer Arabic minute ring, filigree hands, winding aperture between 3 and 4 o’clock
• Case: gold, the back centred with a portrait of Alexander Pope en grisaille against a blue ground in imitation of a cameo, surrounded by pastes, the bezels decoratively engraved with leaf-forms and geometric motifs, London hallmarks for 1779, case maker’s mark RP incuse for Richard Palmer

The Belin Collection, Sotheby’s London, 29^th November 1979, lot 91

Terence Camerer Cuss, The English Watch 1585-1970, 2009, p. 269, pl. 163
W. Cumhaill, Investing in Clocks and Watches, 1971, p. 93

Movement not running at time of cataloguing but appears complete. Enamel dial with 2 or 3 scratches running slightly out from the centre, later hands. Slight rubbing to hallmarks inside case back. Engraved decoration to case remains bright and clear, small hole and slight rippling to the thumb piece. Enamel plaque appears to be in good condition with minor scratching.
"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."

Britten notes that another watch by George Goodman in a red agate case that was in the Pierpont Morgan collection now resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The portrait to the case back depicts Alexander Pope (1688-1744), who made a name for himself for his satirical poetry and his translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey. Pope wrote satire to comment on social and political issues contemporary to his time, with subjects ranging from religion, criticism of political parties, to criticism of other literary critics.

Pope was a central member of The Scriberlus Club, (1714-1745) a group of 18th century authors whose speciality was satire. The group often published works satirizing abuses of scholarship and learning. Pope, along with another famous fellow Scribellus writer, Jonathan Swift were suspected of writing the verse called, Ode, for Musick. On the Longitude in 1727. The verse parodied the unusual and bizarre ideas proposed by William Whiston (1667-1752) and Humphrey Ditton (1675-1715) of solving the Longitude problem in the early 18th century. The two published their ideas in a book
entitled, A New Method for Discovering the Longitude, both at Sea and Land, which was heavily criticized by contemporary scholars. Ode, for Musick. On the Longitude lambasted Whiston and Ditton for their efforts, containing lines such as,

“The longitude miss’d on
By wicked Will Whiston
and not better hit on
By good Master Ditton.”

Though Whiston and Ditton did not solve the Longitude problem, their efforts were instrumental in passing the Longitude Act in 1714 , see Derek Howse, Greenwich time and the discovery of the longitude, 1980, pp. 45- 51.