A beautifully engraved, gorge cased Carriage Clock with repeat strike on a bell and signed and numbered platform.

The Case and Dial Mask are engraved in a very striking style against a finely matted ground.  The five knop handle, also engraved, is reminiscent of the work of Drocourt.  The Enamel Dial is written with delicate Roman numerals and a double minutes circle with a single dot at the Quarters. The Blued Steel Moon Hands have slender tips.

The 8-day Movement with hour and half hour strike on a bell is stamped 1168 on the bottom left hand corner of the backplate. The engraving of “Hands” and the hand set arrow are of a distinctive style but are not identifiable in Allix. The Silvered Platform to the lever escapement is also numbered 1168 and stamped with the maker’s “poincon”. The movement itself is otherwise unmarked. A signed and numbered platform is a very rare feature in any Carriage clock but was regularly adopted by this maker.

Date: circa 1875.

* J Soldano is known to have been working from 1855 until at least 1878. Allix notes that “the beautiful JS escapements were in all probability produced for him in Switzerland”.

Carriage Clocks Their History and Development by Charles Allix. Antique Collector’s Club 1974.

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