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Luke Wise Anonymous, French (17th century)
Gold and enamel cased verge clock-watch or alarm watch

Movement: Luke Wise Reading, c. 1635 (case) and c. 1700 (movement)

case; gold; pierced and enamelled with opaque white and polychrome translucent enamels dial; engraved, enamelled; opaque white and polychrome translucent enamels, blued-steel

case 40.9 mm diameter case 23.75 mm thickness movement 33.3 mm diameter movement 7.1 mm pillar height

Case: Gold case pierced and enamelled with a design of realistic flowers in translucent colours and opaque white. The boss for the bell remains in the back of the case. Dial: The front plate of the movement has an engraved foliate border which surrounds an applied white enamel dial decorated with realistic flowers in polychrome translucent enamels within the chapter ring. The chapter-ring has hours I-XII, diminishing dot half-hour marks and a quarters circle. Blued-steel hand. Movement: The original striking or alarm movement has been replaced with a more recent verge timepiece movement with fusee, balance spring and Tompion regulator c. 1700 and signed "Luke Wise Reading". Literature: D. Thompson, 'Watches in the Ashmolean Museum: part 1', Antiquarian Horology, Vol. 25, pp. 514-515, figs.. 30-32.

Miss Paget
Sotheby's, 1934

Thompson (2007)

Bequeathed by J. Francis Mallett, 1947.

WA1947.191.107

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