A fine and rare late 19th century French grande sonnerie striking carriage clock with minute repeat facility and alarmThe movement numbered 2The cast case with foliate handle over an escapement aperture and repeat button, the corners set with Corinthian columns between the pierced, silvered and glazed sides on a stepped base. The white enamel Arabic dial with fancy pierced hands within a pierced and silvered floral mask above a subsidiary Roman enamel alarm dial with counter balanced blued steel needle hand. The three train movement with silvered jewelled Swiss lever platform escapement, cut and compensated bimetallic balance with stamping on the back plate for hand- and alarm-setting, with a 3 position lever on the base offering a choice of grande sonnerie striking, petite sonnerie striking or silence. Ticking, striking and repeating on two hammers and two gongs, with the alarm ringing and using a separate hammer. Together with a double ended winding key and the original silk-lined leather travel case with signature ribbon for the retailers Baily Banks & Biddle. 16cms (6 ins) highFootnotes:Baily Banks & Biddle was originally founded in Philadelphia as Bailey & Kitchen in 1832. In 1878 it was established as Baily Banks & Biddle and it remained so until the company went into administration in 2019. Jewellers, silversmiths and retailers, the company also designed and made many medals that are still used today, such as the Congressional Medal of Honour and the first 40,000 Purple Hearts.It is interesting to note that the back plate is engraved in English for the hands, alarm, etc. but the regulation for the platform is in French, R(etard) and A(vance). This suggests that the rough movement and escapement were bought from separate suppliers and then assembled to be sold, rather then the complete clock being bought and simply cased.Minute repeating carriage clocks are particularly rare to find on the open market.This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.