A fine and unusual silvered and engraved gilt brass calendar carriage clock with visible escapement to dial Japy Freres, Paris, circa 1860 The eight-day two train bell striking movement with vertical lever escapement planted with the recessed centre of the dial regulated by sprung bimetallic balance pivoted beneath a yoke-shaped bridge, the bachplate with regulation square and a pair of push-buttons for calendar adjustment over stamped oval trademark JAPY FRERES ET CIE, EXPOSITION, 1855 GRANDE,MED., D'HONNEUR to centre and serial number 100 to lower margin, the dial with escapement to the recessed silvered panel-backed centre within slender white Roman numeral enamel chapter ring and with blued steel moon hands set within a rectangular gilt brass mask finely engraved with extensive foliate scrolls onto a matted ground, the silvered brass corniche type bevel-glazed case with hinged carrying handle over oval top glass enclosing twin enamel subsidiary calendar dials for day-of-the-week and date-of-the-month within conforming gilt foliate scroll engraved infill, with cavetto cornice and caddy moulded angles over conforming skirt base, 14.5cm (5.75ins) high. Provenance: The beneficiary of the Estate of a private collector, East Midlands. The firm of Japy Freres et Cie was founded by Frederick Japy in 1774 who set-up a modest workshop in Montbeliard as a watch and machine tool maker. Japy expanded his business rapidly and by 1804, the year he was awarded the Legion d Honneur by Napoleon (in recognition for his Brevets in horological machinery), he employed 300 people at his manufactory in Beaucourt. From 1806, he took five of his sons into partnership and the firm expanded adding buildings at Badevel and La Feschotte amongst others to become one of the largest makers of clocks in Europe. The business continued into the Twentieth century but during the inter-war period went into decline and is thought to have finally wound-up in around 1840. A detailed history of Japy Freres et Cie is provided in Allix, Charles and Bonnert, Peter CARRIAGE CLOCKS, Their history and development chapter VI pages 133-48. The visible vertically-planted escapement positioned to the centre of the dial of the current lot is an unusual configuration no doubt devised to allow the space above the movement to be utilised for calendar work. The design and positioning of the escapement appears to be very scarce and unique to Japy Freres, and can be directly compared to another clock (this time mounted with equinoctial sundial to the top) by them illustrated in Roberts, Derek CARRIAGE and other Travelling CLOCKS pages 235 (Fig 14.4). From the description this other example bears the same oval trademark as the current lot and is numbered 203 which suggests that this type of escapement was only used on a few examples for a relatively short period of time around 1860.