An early Seventeenth Century gilt brass automata lion clock, which moves its eyes in time with the seconds and roars a chime every hour, sold for $180,000 at Bonhams, New Bond Street, as part of its fine clocks and barometers sale on July 14. The sale totaled just over $1 million, with a 74 percent sale rate by value.
Made in France, the clock, which had been estimated to sell for $100/150,000, is unique in that it fea-tures both an armillary sphere and automata combination. It would have fascinated a Seventeenth Century audience that would never have seen a lion.
A top price was also paid for an early Eighteenth Century quarter repeating bracket clock movement by one of the leading clockmakers of the late Seventeenth and early Eighteenth Century, Daniel Quare, which sold for $44,000. Quare was an important member of the Quaker community, but his beliefs of-ten brought him into conflict with the authorities; nevertheless, he enjoyed royal patronage and profes-sional success.
James Stratton, director of clocks and watches at Bonhams, commented, “It was once again a strong sale with the very best items achieving top prices. There is no time like the present to invest in time.”
Prices reported have been converted from British pounds to US dollars and include the buyer’s pre-mium. For information, +44 20 7468 8382 or http://www.Bonhams.com
