MINIATURE TRAVELLING CLOCK, a so-called CAPUCINE Signed: Ellicott London, Martinot AParis and Borel. Dated and numbered: 4/95 (April 1795) No 210 England/France

Carriage clocks

M&R102a

MINIATURE TRAVELLING CLOCK, a so-called CAPUCINE
Signed: Ellicott London, Martinot AParis and Borel.
Dated and numbered: 4/95 (April 1795) No 210
England/France

Movement
For the construction of this clock Elicott made use of an existing watch movement signed by the French maker as follows: MARTINOT A PARIS. This movement has a spring barrel, chain fusee, verge escapement with balance, hair spring and regulation. The balance bridge is elaborately pierced and chased. The movement also has rack striking, as well as an alarm on a bell. The whole is constructed between plates.

Dial
The circular white enamel dial is set in a brass plate and has a black Roman chapter ring with five-minute and minute divisions. The time is indicated by an exceptional beautiful pair of blued steel hands with sun emblem. Behind the hands is a small, silvered Arabic alarm disc. The dial is signed at the back by the enameller: Borel. The brass front plate on which the dial is mounted is signed, dated and numbered by the maker of the clock ELLICOT LONDON, 4/95 N 210

Case
The rectangular brass case has two doors to the sides. The back cover has four winding holes for the regulation (R&A), going train (M), striking (S) and alarm (R). The clock, which rests on four raised bun feet, is surmounted by a bell and has a stylised brass handle.

Duration one day
Height 12.5 cm.
Width 6 cm.
Depth 5 cm.

Literature
A similar clock is depicted in Charles Allix and Peter Bonnert, Carriage Clocks, their history and development, Woodbridge, 1981, p. 25, Plate 1/35.

The maker, retailer and enameller
The maker of the watch movement is Martinot, who was a maker in Paris in the 17th and 18th centuries. Ellicott acquired this movement and incorporated it in his creation which he signed. Borel is the enameller.

*Edward Ellicot 1772-1835
Ellicot’s workshop was situated in Sweetings’ Alley London and was taken over by his son Edward II. He was elected junior warden in 1828 and 1829, to renter warden in 1830, senior warden in 1833 and Master of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1834. He filled this office until his death on 8 July in 1835, at the age of 63. Although he was trained to be a watchmaker, he was not very keen on his job and he left the management of the business to others.

*Balthazar Martinot (1636-1714) was clockmaker to King Louis XIV 1678-1679 & 1693-1695 to Queen Anne of Austria in 1665. He was born in Rouen, in a family of watchmakers. In 1692 he worked together with his brother, Giles, Nicolas Gribelin and Jacques Langlois. Apart from working for the home market, he also produced clocks for the export and the Far East.

*Borel
There were a number of top enamellers at the end of the 18th century and Jean-Antoine Borel was one of them. Among his clients were Breguet and Lépine.

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