Vulliamy, London No. 795. SOLD

Clockmaker: Vulliamy, London

SOLD

Rare, small clock by this important clockmaker with interesting provenance. Circa 1820

Case

Classical case, for which Vulliamy is famous, uniquely made from solid rosewood with brass inset canted corners and large glazed brass framed side panels. The case stands on brass acorn bun feet.

Dial

Exceptional chased and engraved arched silvered dial with Roman hour numerals signed Vulliamy London with rise and fall adjustment at XII. Original blued steel hands.

Movement

Double chain fusee eight day movement of superlative quality, having heavy plates with four baluster pillars. Striking the hours on a bell. Half dead beat escapement with rise and fall regulation to the pendulum that has a large brass bob. Pendulum securing bracket mounted on the backplate, signed Vulliamy London and numbered 795.

Height 8 inches (20 cm)

This clock is recorded in the Vulliamy workbooks, the entry reads;

Small eight day spring clock with silvered dial & engraved plate in a solid rose wood case. 795

1821 July 14 Holmden the Movement with chains

& rise & fall 11.11 -

March 12 Lowther a solid rose wood case 3. 3 -

Sept Thomson cleaned the clock corrected the

regulating snail

1823 July 12 Cleaned Thomson . . . . . . .

Delivered to

Christopher Nugent Esq

To take to Chilli

Nov 6. 1823

In 1823 George Canning, Foreign Secretary and later Prime Minister, appointed commercial agents to the South America republics. In October 1823, he appointed Christopher Nugent consul general to Chile. Nugent was given provisionally a salary of two thousand pounds annually with liberal allowances for expenses. In mid December 1823, he and the vice consuls, Henry William Rouse and Mathew Carter, sailed from London on the warship “Cambridge” which likewise carried British consular representatives to Lima, Beunos Aires, and Montevideo. He reached Valparaiso on 4th May 1824 and entered upon his functions at Santiago, eleven days later. The British had political interest in Chile. In June 1824 Nugent informed Canning that possession of the island of Chiloe by Great Britain would give their country the key to the entire western side of South America. Nugent held office until 1828.

Christopher Richard Nugent would have specially ordered this clock from Vulliamy, who knowing Nugent would be taking the small mantel clock with him to Chile, instructed the case to be made from solid rosewood as opposed to the normal practice of veneering a case in rosewood. A rosewood veneered case could have problems due to the climate conditions in Chile. The cost was much higher due to the complicated construction required and the extra cost of the exotic timber. By coincidence we recently purchased an almost identical timepiece mantel clock by Vulliamy, No. 759 made six months earlier. The case of which was veneered in rosewood, the case cost £2-12-6 where the solid rosewood case of No. 795 cost £3-3.

Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy was the last of a line of exceptional clockmakers, and the last of his illustrious family to hold the Royal Clockmaker's Warrant.

Born on the 25th January 1780, not a lot is known about his childhood, he spent most of it at 68 Pall Mall. He joined his father in Pall Mall very early in life, certainly when less than 20 years of age. He received the Freedom of the Clockmaker's Company in December 1809 and became a liveryman in January 1810 at the age of 30 and was admitted to the Court of Guild in the same year. There he served every office in the Court and was five times elected Master.