c.1860 Massive Exhibition 8-Bell Skeleton Clock in a Glazed Rosewood Case with an Exceptional Operatic Music Box.

Case

The glazed rosewood case has a paneled base with beaded moldings, doors to the side and back for the musical movement and carved feet. The tapered center has brass bound glazed sides and doors with bullet hinges and with satinwood strips to secure the glasses. The corner uprights of the case have carved foliage and the inverted vaulted top has four carved finials to the corners and one large one in the center.

Dial

The 12.5-inch giant engraved skeletonized silvered dial has a star shaped center, Roman numerals for the hours, steel cut hands and is signed ‘J Cole, London’. On the movement frame are engraved silvered plaques with the retailer, ‘J. R. Losada, 105 Regent Street, London’.

Movement

The massive eight-day triple fusee skeletonized clock movement has 11mm thick plates, 6 massive posts screwed front and back, a dead-beat escapement with jeweled pallets, maintaining power, finely cut six spoke wheel work and an escape wheel with oil retention holes in the teeth. The 4lb pendulum is suspended via a suspension spring and the clock strikes the hours on a giant gong mounted to the case. The fusees have different profiles which indicate they were specifically cut for the springs. It is quarter striking on 8 bells, and the circular hammers have holes in the center. There is a pull repeat that plays the last quarter and hour. At the hour it lifts a rod that trips the musical movement below. The exceptional 4-tune operatic overture musical movement is signed ‘Nicole Freres’, has a Geneva stop on the barrel, has a particularly fine comb, is wound and set out the side of the case, and has a 2-inch diameter and 12-inch long pinned cylinder. Each tune plays for approximately 105 seconds when activated by the clock on the hour or when activated manually. The Airs d’Opéra are Rossini’s Barber of Seville, Semiramis and William Tell and Mozart’s The Magic Flute.