A fine Victorian engraved gilt brass mantel clock in the style of Thomas Cole Unsigned but probably by Edward Winter Robins, London, mid 19th century The eight-day five columnar pillar twin going-barrel gong-striking movement with oval plates truncated at the apex to allow for the horizontally planted gilt platform lever escapement regulated by sprung three-arm monometallic balance, the backplate applied with coiled gong and hammer complete with sprung stop, the 4 inch wide silvered brass oval Roman numeral dial with fine naturalistic leafy spray engraved and line-hatched centre within narrow chapter ring with Gothic style numerals, with unusual speared crescent blued steel hands beneath leafy trail upper border set within overlaid hatched ground foliate scroll engraved and pierced gilt brass mask opposing pierced interloped scrolling trails to the lower margin, with thick bevelled glass secured by foliate trail decorated bezel, the oval case further decorated with leafy scrolls onto a line-hatched ground to circumference and the rear with panel finely engraved with an equestrian stag hunt within intense flowering foliage and incorporating shutters for winding, Set Hands and Slow Fast, the whole supported within an abstracted pierced scroll outline strap frame surround incorporating carrying loop to the top and decorated throughout with conforming leafy designs, mounted on an elaborate plinth with further decoration to the recessed panel cavetto mouldings over bevel-glazed overlaid section to front flanked by stylised geometric scroll projections to angles, the sides with further recessed panels over leafy trail decorated ogee base, and the rear with engraved scene of two shire horses with a plough over pad feet, (the case numbered 2895 to the lower edge behind the front bezel), 33cm (13ins) high. The current lot can be compared to a timepiece of related design signed by Edward Winter Robins and numbered 2878 which was sold at Sotheby's, London Important Watches, clocks, Barometers, Mechanical Music and Scientific Instruments, 26th February 1998 (lot 223) for £4,600. In addition to them sharing strong stylistic similarities this other timepiece and the current lot also have similar serial numbers (2878 and 2895) hence it would be reasonable to suggest that they both originated from the same workshop around the same time. Edward Winter Robins was registered as a manufacturer at 4 Red Lion Street, Clerkenwell and as a watchmaker at 28 Queens Road, Bayswater in 1857; and then at other addresses until 1859. His work followed very much in the style of Thomas Cole and is discussed in Jenkins, J.B. Thomas Cole & Victorian Clockmaking pages 29 and 168-69.