A Short Potted History of the French Carriage Clock
A Fine Grande Sonnerie Striking Carriage Clock by one of the great French Victorian carriage clock makers, Alfred Drocourt, with Day, Date, Alarm dials and the Phases of the Moon. Retailed by Henry Capt of Geneva.
French carriage clocks were being made in the early part of the 1800's by one or two of the top makers with Brequet being touted as the master of these small box-like pieces. His use of size along with portability was the reason for the boom in carriage clocks. Pieces signed by Brequet are extremely sought after today. The 1820's saw this boom become widespread with Paul Garnier making quite distinctive clocks, incorporating his standard case, dial and hand designs allied often with the Garnier 'Chaff-cutter' escapement which was supposed to overcome problems in time-keeping and regulation. Others, such as Pinchon, Jules etc were also making semi-standard clocks with many of these makers names appearing on almost identical clocks, especially those with the helical spring balance and one-piece case.
A Porcelain Panelled Carriage Clock by Soldano in an Anglaise style case, unusual in having a fourth panel to te rear door. With an eight day striking and repeating movement..
By the 1850's Henry Marc was almost 'mass-producing' carriage clocks although the standard was high. He employed makers of the 'roulant blancs' from St. Nicholas d'Ailermont and finished off the movements in his own workshops. The three most well known makers of the post 1850 period are Drocourt, Jacot and Leroy. Drocourt made fine clocks with most being housed in Gorge cases. The movements are often stamped 'H.L' on the inside plates, being the mark of the maker Henri Lemaille, who was obviously supplying Drocourt with the roulant blancs. A number of pieces have been seen with his stamp and no other mark and all the engraving and stamps are identical to those seen on a Drocourt. These movements are also known with the Leroy mark on them so it is safe to assume that Lemaille supplied a number of the top makers. Henri Jacot is one of the most keenly collected of the carriage clock makers. Always of excellent quality the clocks by Jacot have a number of exclusive features. The white enamel dials generally have a thin 'inner' ring sighted around the inside of the chapter ring whilst the backplate bears the trademark of a parrot (a jacot is a french parrot) on a perch with the initials H.J. either side. Interestingly as both Jacot and Drocourt supplied a number of the top retailers in the England it was often asked of them to leave their trade mark off the backplate and the dial with the dial having the retailers name placed on there instead, and sometimes on the backplate. In these cases both makers put a hidden stamp inside the movement. Jacot's being an oval on the frontplate with the name in the middle and the medal winning years around the edge, whilst Drocourt had an oval inside the plates with the name within.
A Fine Corniche cased Grande Sonnerie Carriage clock by Henri Jacot (left) alongside a Cannallee cased eight day, striking and repeating on bell example by Margaine and retailed in London b Payne. The Jacot has a full history including the original date of sale and owner and is complete with it's original travelling box and numbered key.
The Label from the bottom of the Jacot box is shown below and indicates it's purchase by E.H. Stone Esq on the 18th of July, 1899 from Cooke & Kelvey of Calcutta and London.
Cases came in a number of styles but basically there were four main types. The Corniche which is probably the type that most people see and know, being rectangular with corner 'feet' mouldings to the top and base and a fairly plain handle. The one-piece case which has the main body cast from a single piece of brass (or braised together) with no real 'top', clean lines and a large top glass. Sometimes the better of this type had mouldings to the base corners as with gorge cases and 'English' style handles. The Gorge cased clocks, felt by many to the be the top design with its moulded base, top and corners and generally with a five ribbed handle. This type was a particular favourite of both Drocourt and Leroy. Later in the 1800's saw the Anglaise case which was produced, as the name suggests, to appeal to the English market with it's straight edges and plain ornamentation. Makers of this type include Margaine who exported thousands of carriage clocks to Britain at this time. Various adaptations included the bamboo type columns, cheaper versions such as the Obis (for the Corniche) and the Cannalee (For the Gorge) as well as the more fancy types which had porcelain dials and panels as well as cases which are fully engraved.
An Engraved Cannellee cased French Carriage clock made for the Chinese Market, by C H Joseph for Vrard of Shanga-Hai. With the usual Chinese features such as a weep seconds hand, strikework visible on the backplate and Chinese markings and with an eight day, bell striking and repeating movement, and alarm work.
Movements came in a number of variations although almost always of eight day duration and with a platform escapement which was either a lever (for the better models) or a cylinder (for the more run-of-the-mill clocks). The simple timepiece could be had as it was or with an alarm with the bell usually set in the base. Striking clocks sounded the hours and half hours on a bell (generally earlier models) or a gong. Interestingly a number of clocks by Leroy seem to be set out for a bell (the holes showing on the backplate) but fitted with a gong which would suggest either the client could have either or the movements were made in the transitional period and adapted. These striking clocks could have the addition of an alarm and/or repeatwork where the press of a button to the top of the case sounded the last hour. Then the more elaborate movements came either as petite-sonnerie (sounding the quarters on two bells once at quarter past, twice at half past and three times at a quarter to) or grande-sonnerie (the quarter as before with the addition of the last hour sounding every quarter). These grande sonnerie clocks normally have a lever in the base allowing for full strike, just the quarters, or silent. Due to the extra striking on these movements the barrels are much larger than normal and it is important to check this out as a number of quarter strikes have been adapted, and if this is the case the strike will run out half way through the week.
