Y A FINE WILLIAM III BRASS MOUNTED EBONY TABLE CLOCK William Jourdain, London, circa 1700 The five finned pillar bell striking movement with verge escapement regulated by short bob pendulum and inside rack for the hour striking mechanism, the backplate signed W. Jourdain, London to the symmetrical foliate scroll engraved backplate centred with a leafy basket and with herringbone border, the 7 inch square brass dial with canted border shaped false bob aperture further signed W. Jourdain, London to a recessed silvered plate behind and calendar aperture to the finely matted centre within applied silvered Roman numeral chapter ring with cruciform half hour markers and Arabic five minutes to outer track, with pierced steel hands, winged cherub head cast spandrels to angles and N/S strike/silent selection switch at three o`clock, the case with elaborate repousse double basket top surmount with fine twin cherub cast handle to the profile mask medallion scroll centred pierced upper tier, the lower tier with relief panel of St. George slaying the dragon flanked by figural military trophies within a conforming cherub and scroll decorated field and flanked by unusual gilt urn finials with tall baluster spires, the front applied with scroll pierced gilt repousse mounts to the frame of the door, the sides with glazed lozenge apertures over rectangular windows, the rear with rectangular glazed door set within the frame of the case, on complex moulded shallow skirt base with cast claw feet. 42cm (16.5ins) high with handle down, 27cm (10.5ins) wide, 17cm (6.75ins) deep. Provenance: the property of a private collector, north London; purchased at Woolley and Wallis sale of Clocks, Pocket Watches, Barometers & Scientific Instruments 26th October 2010 (lot 138) for £6,500 hammer. The life and work of William Jordain and his successors is recorded in Ponsford, Clive N.THE JOURDAIN FAMILY OF SPITALFIELDS, LONDON, SPECIALISTS IN CHIME AND MUSICAL WORK published in the September 2007 issue of Antiquarian Horology (Vol. XXX number III, pages 381-99). Ponsford notes that William Jourdain was born in Dieppe in around 1665 to David Jourdain a Huguenot. In 1686 the family fled across the channel to escape persecution following the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and by 1688 the family had settled in London with William Jourdain being admitted to the congregation of the French Church of Threadneedle Street. William Jourdain married his cousin, Anne Le Sturgeon (with whom he had ten children) in 1695 and set-up business as a clockmaker in Spitalfields. After the death of Anne William Jourdain married his second wife, Suzanne Savoy in 1712 who again he outlived allowing him to marry his third wife Susanne Savoy in 1741. William Jourdain died in 1747 leaving the business to his son of the same name who continued in his father's footsteps until he was admitted to William Sutton's Hospital, near Smithfield in 1778 where he remained until his death in 1782. William Jourdain, like many highly skilled Huguenot immigrant craftsmen, apparently never gained his freedom of the Clockmaker's Company. However this did not seem to hinder him in his work as surviving examples demonstrate a high quality approach, often incorporating complications such as musical work and highly decorated cases. The highly decorative nature of the case of the current lot reflects Jourdains 'high-style Huguenot' approach and interestingly can be directly compared to an example housing a movement and dial by Langley Bradley which was sold in these rooms on Wednesday 4th December 2013 (lot 173). The engraving to the backplate is well executed and most likely by a fellow Huguenot being perhaps the same individual who executed the backplate for a clock by Simon DeCharmes which is illustrated in Dzik, Sunny ENGRAVING ON ENGLISH TABLE CLOCKS - Art on a Canvas of Brass 1660-1800 on page 245 (Figure 14.3). Condition Report: The movement is in clean working condition. A series of filled holes to the upper left hand margin of the plates suggests that a pull-quarter repeat mechanism was fitted at some time which is no longer present. The escapement wheelwork has either been re-pinioned or replaced and the lower potance is also a replacement however the top potance, backcock and apron would appear to be original hence the escapement appears not to be a reconversion. Indeed the position of the internal rack for the striking mechanism has most likely deterred conversion to anchor escapement in the past. The upper two wheel of the strike train have been re-pinioned otherwise movement appears to be original and in good condition. The dial is in fine clean condition with strong gilding (although it has possibly been regilded at some point). The chapter ring has some very light concentric rubbing to the silvering; the hour hand may be a well-made replacement. The case is generally in good original condition with no visible damage of losses to the 'double-basket' superstructure; the finials also appear free from damage. The front door has sections missing from the repousse mounts to each end of the upper and lower rails. The right hand mount has a small loss to the lower edge and the left hand has three breaks and a small loss. The front door hinges and lock have been replaced and there is a small veneer loss to the lower right hand corner of the dial mask (where the veneer overlaps the dial plate). The rear door retains its original hinges and lock, the veneers exhibit numerous small historic holes indicating that the repousse mounts were also once fitted to the rear door but are now no longer present. The sides are in good condition although there are two small blemishes to the rear of the left hand side from where the pins securing the rear door hinges have pierced the veneers. Faults to the case are otherwise very much limited to minor shrinkage and a few other very slight age related blemishes. Clock has a case key but no winder. Condition Report Disclaimer