George Parker, Dublin

Circa 1710

Price on application. Please get in contact.

9½ inches high

A very rare miniature striking tortoiseshell table clock with pull quarter repeat. Case The beautifully made miniature case is veneered entirely with tortoiseshell, the very fine mouldings are all tortoiseshell with a foliate cast gilt-brass handle to the inverted bell top; original tortoiseshell sound frets in the front door and glazed sides, original hinges to the front and rear doors, the mounded base raised up on brass bun feet. Dial The 4½ inch square gilt-brass dial is signed George Parker Dublin on the silvered chapter ring with Roman and Arabic numerals and blued steel hands, the finely matted centre has both mock pendulum and calendar apertures, tiny winged cherub spandrels at the corners and strike/silent lever at the top Movement The intricate miniaturised striking and repeating movement has spring barrels, and fusees with gut lines, the hours struck on a bell and with pull quarter repeat on a further 2 bells, the going train has knife-edge verge escapement with bob pendulum; lovely swirling foliate engraved backplate, the movement secured with a bolt in the base pillar through the base of the case George Parker 1701-1766 was one of Dublin's better-known makers. There is an interesting gold repousse pocket watch signed by him at the Irish Museum of Time in Waterford which is thought to be the earliest Irish hallmarked pocket watch. There further exists in the same museum a tortoiseshell-veneered standard-sized table clock by William Marshall of Dublin. Apart from being veneered in tortoiseshell the present clock signed Parker has very few characteristics in common with the museum clock by Marshall. The clock's tiny proportions, fine quality workmanship and miniaturised striking movement with full quarter repeat all indicate that it was made by one of the better London clockmakers, possibly by John Clowes who was known to have made miniature table clocks and skills were equal to the task of making such a fine quality clock.