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Vienna, second half of the 18th century
- Case
- ebonized and polished fruitwood, wrought and fire-gilt brass mounts
- Dial
- repoussé ormolu front, silver-plated dial ring, central alarm disc
- Movement
- verge escapement with fusee, open work balance cock, fine adjustment, hour strike on bell, alarm on bell
- Height
- 7½ in
This especially small Baroque clock with a height of just 7 ½ in. (including the handle) was manufactured in Vienna in the second half of the 18th century and could also be used as a carriage clock.
The clock case, in typical bracket clock style with a profiled top and round arched front, is implemented en miniature in ebonized fruitwood. The fire-gilt front is decorated with embossed repoussé tendril décor.
To balance out the spring force and therefore achieve more continuous accuracy, the movement with a verge escapement is furnished with what is known as a fusée (-and-chain) transmission. Alongside an hour striking mechanism, this Baroque timepiece also has an alarm function. The corresponding alarm disc at the center of the silver-plated dial ring can be rotated by hand – the short end of the hour hand serves to display the desired wake-up time. The bell, which both the hammer of the hour striking mechanism and of the alarm hit, is on the underside of the case. The winding arbor for the movement, striking mechanism and alarm as well as a pointer for the fine adjustment are on the back plate. An openwork bridge holds the balance wheel in place. In contrast to a balance cock, a bridge is attached to the plate on not just one, but two sides.
This miniature Baroque clock with an alarm function is a rare example of early Viennese carriage clocks in bracket clock style – a sought-after rarity for collectors and enthusiasts of multiple types of clocks.