A fine French gilt bamboo cased miniature carriage timepiece with Aesthetic style porcelain panels Unsigned, Paris, late 19th century The French eight-day movement with silvered platform lever escapement and stamped with serial number 4686 to backplate, the rectangular porcelain dial panel overall painted in polychrome and gilt with asymmetric red and black ground landscape and foliate panels within a cream field populated with a bird inhabited stylised foliage, the centre with gilt Roman numeral chapter ring and blued steel spade hands, the frosted gilt brass bevel glazed case of Mignonette No. 2 size with frame modelled to resemble sections of bamboo overlapping at the corners, the top with conforming hinged carrying handle and panel-glazed escapement aperture and the sides inset with additional Aesthetic style porcelain panels matching the dial with arrangement of gilt highlighted shaped panels within a cream ground incorporating birds amongst flowering foliage, on angled T-shaped bamboo stump feet, 9cm (3.5ins) high excluding handle. Provenance: The beneficiary of the Estate of a private collector, East Midlands. The design of the porcelain panels of the current lot draw their inspiration from Japanese art in particular Satsuma pottery. The study and interpretation of Japanese decorative arts was a core element of the Aesthetic Movement which in-turn influenced Orientalist design which became highly fashionable during the latter quarter of the 19th century. Furthermore the 'bamboo' design of the case compliments the Aesthetic feel of the panels resulting in an object which is fully integrated in its visual qualities. A group of three closely related miniature timepieces illustrating the variations on the theme of the current lot can be found in Roberts, Derek CARRIAGE and other Travelling CLOCKS pages 172-73 (Fig. 10.16). Miniature carriage clocks are called Mignonettes or 'little darlings' and come in three graded sizes with No. 2 being the second smallest.