Lot 95

William Carpenter, London, Movement No. 2506, 63 mm, 173 g, circa 1800
A paste-set pair-cased enamel verge pocket watch of high quality, with stoppable centre seconds
Case: outer case - gilt brass and polychrome enamel. Inner case - gilt brass, polished, case maker's punch mark "WC". Dial: enamel. Movm.: full plate movement, chain/fusee, verge escapement, three-arm steel balance.
The back of the outer case is decorated with polychrome enameling and shows two young ladies with a pair of doves in a park. The front is set with a row of red and green stones and the band is engraved with floral motifs.
William Carpenter in London was an innovative and highly gifted watchmaker of the late 18th century, who successfully produced fine watches and automata for the Chinese, Indian and Ottoman markets. We do not exactly know the dates of his life but he was presumably born in 1727 and freed from the Clockmaker's Company in 1781. Carpenter probably worked until 1803 or 1818; he is best known for his exquisite musical automata. Some of his automata are owned by the Palace Museum in Beijing and by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

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