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Vienna, middle of the 19th century
- signed
- “Marenzeller (in Wien)” (signed on dial and verso)
- Clockmaker
- Igna(t)z Marenzeller,
- *1798 Pettau/Styria, 1831 master, 1873 court clockmaker, †1877
- Case
- engraved ormolu
- Dial
- enamel dial, aperture for the calender with enamel plaque for the date and manually rotatable ormolu cylinder for the days of the week
- Movement
- echappement with ruby pallets, ruby bearings, fine adjustment, Viennese grande sonnerie on bell, quarter strike with two hammers, repeater, turn-off for strike
- Height
- 5½ in
Ignatz Marenzeller, renowned for producing timepieces of the highest quality, was one of the finest clockmakers of his era. Professor Hans von Bertele, the leading authority on Viennese clocks, ranked him among Vienna’s most distinguished master clockmakers. Gold and silver medals awarded at the Vienna Industrial Exhibitions, prizes for his exceptional timepieces at international world’s fairs, and ultimately his appointment as Imperial and Royal Court Clockmaker all attest to Marenzeller’s extraordinary skill.
In 1851, Marenzeller participated in the Great Exhibition in London, where the celebrated English clockmaker Thomas Cole presented his so-called “strut clocks” – rectangular table clocks with a folding support stand, a small number of which were equipped with a weekday calendar. This innovative type of clock quickly became highly fashionable, and in 1861 even Queen Victoria received such a table clock as a birthday gift from the Prince of Wales (Royal Collection, Inv. No. 2946). Marenzeller was evidently inspired by these sought-after timepieces in the creation of the present refined table clock.
The exceptionally well-crafted solid ormolu case features a small door on the reverse, engraved with the clockmaker’s signature, which provides a view of the echappement with ruby pallets. The calendar incorporates an ormolu rotating cylinder displaying the days of the week, which can be manually adjusted to correspond with the current month. Equally noteworthy is the sophisticated Viennese grande sonnerie, which sounds the quarter hours on two hammers. This rare table clock is an impressive testament to Ignatz Marenzeller’s outstanding craftsmanship.