Beschreibung:

Francis Perigal, London A George III ormolu musical quarter striking automaton table clock. Circa 1790 The case surmounted by a pagoda on cluster columns each supporting a foliate cast flambeau urn finial, the ormolu jacquemart character within the pagoda lowering and raising a placard on each quarter strike, the placard engraved with Chinese characters broadly translated to mean May you have five sons who pass sufficient exams and become high officers in Govenment , the serpentine sides with foliate cast sound frets flanked by foliate caryatids angle mounts depicting characters with plumed hats, foliate C-scroll feet, foliate cast glazed gilt-metal bezel to the dial signed Perigal Royal Exchange, London on the white enamel Roman and Arabic chapter disc with pierced ormolu hour and minute hands and counter-balanced sweep centre seconds, within a silver mask engraved with flowers and dragons enamelled in vivid blue and green, subsidiary white enamel dials below for chime/not chime and four tunes selection DANCE; GIG; MINUET; MARCH , the arch with a painted scene in the foreground with ships passing in the background against a glass-rod automaton waterfall, the five pillar triple chain fusee movement with knife-edge verge escapement, playing music on eight bells via ten hammers and 3 in. long pin barrel, hour strike on a further bell, the ting-tang quarters being struck on the hour bell and a further smaller bell, the backplate profusely engraved with scrolling foliage centered with a basket of flowers and signed Frans. Perigal Royal Exchange, London 24 in. (61 cm.) high