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Clock
Brownley, Thomas - Enlarge image
Clock
- Place of origin:
London, England (made)
- Date:
1787 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Brownley, Thomas (maker)
John Deare, born 1759 - died 1798 (figures, after, sculptor)
Bromeley, Thomas (decorator)
Vulliamy & Son (maker)
Derby Porcelain factory (figures, manufacturer) - Materials and Techniques:
[Clock] Marble, biscuit porcelain and gilt metal
[Pedestal] Satinwood, with mahogany, tulipwood and kingwood cross-banding, and painted decoration - Museum number:
W.15:1, 2-1958
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 118e, case 7
Object Type
As well as keeping time, clocks served as ornaments to be prominently displayed in all the main rooms of the house. Since clocks were so highly valued, they were often lavishly decorated. This one combines an unglazed white porcelain known as 'biscuit' with gilt bronze, elegant marquetry and a painted scene.
People
The clock was made by the firm of Benjamin Vulliamy, clockmaker to George III. The King was passionately interested in clocks and there is one by Vulliamy, dated 1786 and very similar to this, at Windsor Castle. The London firm of Thomas Brownley, who made the case, specialised in this work. The pedestal was decorated by Thomas Bromeley, a coach painter. The biscuit figures are based on models that are likely to have been made by John Deare (1759-1798). He was a sculptor from Liverpool and the youngest Royal Academy gold medallist of his day. From 1785 until his death, Deare enjoyed a very successful career in Rome.
Subjects Depicted
The figures looking at the clock are Venus and Cupid. On the pedestal is the Greek god Apollo, surrounded by the signs of the Zodiac. This scene derives from an engraved gemstone illustrated in Bernard de Montfaucon's Antiquity Explained, published in London between 1721 and 1722.
