A rare singing bird carriage clock.

The glazed gilt-brass case with outset corners with leaf scroll and floral decoration with a glazed case above showing the singing bird, having brown, blue, green and red feathers, perched within colourful foliage with a mirrored glass background. The white enamel dial with Roman numerals, blued steel moon hands and sweep seconds hand; Arabic alarm dial below V1 set within a gilt mask finely engraved with a leaf scroll and flower pattern. The two train going-barrel movement, striking the hours and half hours on a bell, signed on the backplate ‘Japy Freres & Cie, Exposition 1853, Grande Medal d’Honneur’ and numbered 1030, and surmounted by a platform lever escapement. The repeat system allows the bird to sing, turn from left to right and ‘peck’ two minutes prior to the hour being struck; also the repeat button can be used to sound the last hour. The lever at the side of the base allows the bird to operate at will. With original gilt-tooled red morocco leather travelling case.

Case height: 11 ½ inches (29.25cms).

See: ‘Carriage and Other Travelling Clocks’ by Derek Roberts pages 233 to 235 for similar examples and ‘Carriage Clocks their History and Development’ by Charles Allix and Peter Bonnert where an identical clock is illustrated on page 233.