99th Auction

2019/5/11

Lot 41

Hauchar à Paris, Height 2050 mm, circa 1800
An important neo-classical longcase clock with a four hour dial in the style of Benjamin Franklin and a hiking hour hand mechanism by Peter Kinzing in Neuwied with an experimental pendulum "Pendule d'experience" in the style of Ferdinand Berthoud - 4-weeks power reserve
Case: mahogany, smooth, rectangular, moulded base, glazed front door, neo-classical top with dentil pattern, gilt brass bezel. Dial: dial according to Franklin, silvered, signed, 3 hour rings with Roman numerals, outer minute indication, radial Arabic seconds at "6", gilt minute hand with hole, in this hole blued "hiking" outwards tip for hour indication. Movm.: solid rectangular-shaped brass movement, gilt, solid round movement pillars, finely toothed going train, pin wheel escapement with a long pin, weight winding via cord pulleys, knife edge suspension according to Berthoud, steel/brass experimental pendulum with brass pendulum bob according to Berthoud.
J.D. Hauchar trained with the most eminent French maker of timepieces ever - Abraham Louis Breguet in Paris. All of his work distinguishes itself through particularly high skill and craftsmanship.
Berthoud's "Pendule d'experience"
This unique compensation pendulum is described and illustrated in Ferdinand Berthoud’s definitive book "Essai sur l'Horlogerie", published in Paris in 1763, fig. 22 (Planche XXII). It was not previously known that Berthoud or any other maker had ever put this pendulum into effect. We know of no other precision pendulum clock with exactly this pendulum.
Comments of one of the leading experts of Kinzing clocks and eminent restorer Ian Fowler:
The movement of this clock would seem to have originated from the workshop of Peter Kinzing in Neuwied. Signed examples of this type of movement with a Franklin dial are usually found in obelisk cases made by the cabinetmaker David Roentgen (e.g. in the Roentgen Museum Neuwied, the Württemberg State Museum in Stuttgart, the Museum for Applied Arts in Cologne, in Charlottenburg Palace. Berlin, and even in the Clockmaker’ Company London). However, all the Roentgen and Kinzing Franklin clocks have an endless cord winding as invented by Huygens. In this clock by Hauchar the weight is wound by means of a barrel on an additional great wheel, the arbor of which protrudes as a winding square through the dial in the normal way. Unusually the maintaining power ratchet wheel is mounted on the central four hour wheel instead of on the great wheel. This modification took place either when the movement was made or very shortly afterwards because the plugged hole for the original ratchet wheel as made by Kinzing is still vaguely visible.
Characteristic for Kinzing’ workmanship are the dimensions of the movement and the wheelwork, the shape of the long pallet arm to the pin-wheel, and the curious hand mechanism under the dial, which automatically changes the position of the small blued hour hand in the aperture in the long brass minute hand every four hours. From the style of the engraving it would seem that the dial was executed in Paris and not in Neuwied. The extremely solid brass bracket for the movement and pendulum is also a typically French construction. Considering the precise workmanship of the exceptionally well made compensated pendulum as invented by Ellicott and here in the style according to Berthoud with knife edge suspension it must have been as costly as the movement itself and equally singular.
Recent research has revealed that it is not all that uncommon for movements made by Kinzing to be found in clocks with signatures from elsewhere and it can easily be explained: e.g. in a Franklin clock signed Reichel in Köstritz, in clocks with musical movements signed by Bofenschen à Paris or in Hannover and others also. Peter Kinzing was in partnership with David Roentgen until the latter closed his workshop in 1795. The Kinzing family continued for another few decades although their connections to international trade was greatly restricted due to Roentgen’ retirement and the restrictions posed by the French Revolution, let alone the Napoleonic Wars still to come. It can be assumed that the Kinzing firm still had in stock a considerable supply of uncased movements in various stages of completion, which would have to be sold in one form or another for economic reasons. An advertisement in the back of a clock case of around 1810-20 by the next Kinzing generation reveals the following: “Kinzing Brothers and Company in Neuwied are pleased to present a complete selection of clocks of their own production: musical clocks, clocks with centrifugal pendulum, and equation clocks with compensated pendulum…….This selection is very reminiscent of the clocks supplied in cooperation with Roentgen some 20 years earlier, and probably were still in stock since then.
This clock by Hauchar (v. Tardy S.292: Charles-Guillaume. Paris. Meister. Trinité. M.1778. as well as Paris. Quai de la Monnaie, 1812. Quai Conti, 1820-30) would seem to be the first example of a French clock with a Franklin dial. Although Benjamin Franklin spent a number of years in Paris and was a much sought after person in the intellectual salons no French clocks with Franklin dials have come to light as yet. He was in Paris at the same time as Roentgen and Kinzing were there selling their products to the French aristocracy. Whether or not they met in person remains uncertain, but Franklin’ reputation must have been known to them, and for this reason they most likely developed their characteristic Franklin clock –the only type of Franklin clock ever to be made in series. However, when these clocks were finally ready for sale the market in France no longer existed due to the political and financial instability. Roentgen sold his branch in Paris in 1785 and sought new outlets in the eastern provinces. Roentgen and Kinzing had transformed Franklin’ original design of a simple, cheap clock for the poorer settlers in New England into a very expensive precision regulator with a compensated pendulum in an ultra-modern case for a wealthy customer. Likewise Hauchar’ clock in a substantial, extremely well made case typical for the best French precision regulators of the period exemplifies the intention to combine Franklin’ popularity as a scientist as well as a statesman with a first class compensated pendulum.
Source: Ian Fowler, Friesenhagen, October 2008
s. Ausstellungskatalog, Kinzing & Co., Innovative Uhren aus der Provinz, Neuwied 2003. S.36 ff, Franklin-Uhren aus Neuwied.

estimated
25.00050.000 €
Price realized
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