A FINE FRENCH MULTI-COLOUR REPEATING CARRIAGE CLOCK WITH RELIEF-CAST PANELSRETAILED BY J. SEWILL, LONDON, LATE 19th CENTURYThe eight-day gong striking movement with silvered platform lever escapement regulated by sprung split bimetallic balance and stamped with serial number 2190 to the lower left-hand corner of the backplate, the dial with gilt rosette centred circular cream enamel hour disc inscribed J. SEWILL, Leadenhall, LONDON within white Roman cartouche numeral chapter ring, with blued steel hands set into a rectangular panel sculpted in relief with bird inhabited floral sprays picked-out in silver, copper and gilt onto a textured graphite-coloured ground, the bevel-glazed pillars variant case with arched part-silvered hinged carrying handle over top panel incorporating circular raised bevel-glazed panel, caddy-moulded upper edges and projecting ring-turned silvered slender balter uprights to angles, the sides each inset with finely modelled relief panel depicting bird inhabited foliage in silver, copper and gilt onto a textured graphite ground, the rear with bevel-glazed door, the base with dentil band over skirt incorporating rounded projections at the angles, on silvered bun feet.17cm (6.75ins) high, 11cm (4.25ins) wide, 10cm (4ins) deep.Provenance: Private collection, East Midlands.Joseph Sewill was born in Liverpool in 1816 and started up as a watchmaker, chronometer maker, and nautical instrument maker at 61 South Castle St, Liverpool in about 1848. Latterly Joseph went into partner with two of his sons and is thought to have retired to London in 1862. His son, John Joshua Sewill (d. 1891) succeeded him and headed the biness until his death in 1891, The firm was well regarded and opened branches in London (at 30 Cornhill prior to 1882), Glasgow and Locle (Switzerland). In 1867 a chronometer by Sewill won the Greenwich Trials and they became makers to the Admiralty. In the 1874 Greenwich Trials their chronometers came first and third. They also entered pieces into Kew trials, where a karrel watch was awarded 81.8 marks in 1900. They won an award for 'services to horology' at the Paris Exhibition of 1862, and later became 'Maker to the Queen of Spain'.The highly decorative bands and panels decorating the dial and side panels of current lot employs a series of differing techniques to gild, silver, copper and chemically patinate the finely finished relief cast and engraved scenes to provide depth and contrast. A clock with closely related decoration is illtrated in Roberts, Derek CARRIAGE and other Travelling CLOCKS on page 160 (Figure 9.38) where the decoration is described as 'quite outstanding' and 'mt have been one of the most time-consuming methods of decorating a carriage clock'.