Josiah Emery, London

Fine George III mahogany longcase clock with rare globe moon. Circa 1790

Case

Figured mahogany break arch with fine mouldings, surmounted by a waisted pedestal and brass ball finial. The hood with stop fluted, reeded and canted corners. The break arch trunk door with flame veneer matching the raised panel to the base, on a double plinth.

Dial

12 inch break arch one piece silvered dial with rare globe moon and aperture for moons age, seconds dial below XII and strike silent lever at III. Signed to the centre, Emery London. Blued steel hands.

Movement

Five pillar movement with heavy plates and underdial work for the drive to the globe moon. Harrison's maintaining power and dead beat escapement with substantial backcock. Holmes style pivoted crutch for the wood rod pendulum. Striking the hours on a bell. Original rare circular weights.

Height

7ft

Josiah Emery of Switzerland, moved to London sometime before 1760, a most interesting and influential watchmaker, one of the first to make detached lever escapement watches after Thomas Mudge. He worked from 33 Cockspur Street, Charing Cross, London. He also made parts of the temperature compensation set-up for Mudge 'Green' and 'Blue'- with the encouragement of Count von Bruhl. Recently his name has come to even greater prominence due to the fact that he made the pocket chronometer that Lord Horatio Nelson had with him aboard Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. The watch was almost certainly used to time the events of battle that day. The watch was inherited by Nelson's brother, who passed it to his daughter on his death. The watch sold at auction for £322,000 in 2018.

This clock is comparable with a William Dutton longcase clock in the Iden Clock Collection, having the same case, dial with moonphase, hands and the rare circular weights. Iden Clock Collection. No. 119. P. 268-269. Antique Collectors Club. The likelihood is that these two clocks were made in the same workshop. Some fine clocks are known signed Emery although his principle business was making watches. Emery may have possibly ordered the clock through William Dutton whom he would have known and was more concerned with clockmaking at this time.

William Dutton, the head of the family, served his apprenticeship under the famous clockmaker George Graham, and business partner with Thomas Tompion, in 1738 and finished his apprenticeship in 1746 when he became a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers. In circa 1765 he became a partner to the famous Thomas Mudge, another apprentice of George Graham, at 148 Fleet Street, London. This address was used by the Dutton family for several generations. William Dutton and Thomas Mudge were two of the developers of the Lever Escapement for use in watches. William entered the Livery of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers in 1766. About 1790, William took his sons into partnership and traded as W. Dutton & Sons, London, as well as still trading as Dutton & Mudge. The partnership with Thomas Mudge was not dissolved until 1794, the Dutton & Mudge name still appeared on items until Mudge's death. William Dutton and Thomas Mudge both died in 1794. William had two sons, Matthew and Thomas who carried on the business.