Automaton and Musical Clock by Tobias Morris
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1794-1812
This automaton musical clock, accessioned as M.1107-1926, was produced by Tobias Morris in London between 1794 and 1812. The construction is executed in gilt bronze, extensively decorated with coloured pastes.
Measuring 28 1/2 inches in height and 14 inches in width, the clock stands on a stepped square plinth supported by four feet cast with grotesque animal masks. The architectural structure features a baldacchino in the Decorated Gothic style, housing various mechanical automata, including dancing figures and revolving painted silhouettes. The clock movement is contained within a 7.2 cm diameter drum. The overall design incorporates multiple twisted columns, a canopy supporting a draped female figure, and a finial in the form of a flower basket.
Power for the mechanical motions is provided by a musical box movement within the plinth, utilizing a fusee and chain drive to sound seven bells.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Date
- 1794-1812
- Type
- Automaton and musical clock
- Maker
- Tobias Morris
- Materials
- Gilt bronze and coloured pastes
- Dimensions
- 28 1/2 in high by 14 in wide
- Provenance
- Lt. Col. G. B. Croft-Lyons
- Serial Number
- 144
- Place recorded
- United Kingdom
- Movement Mechanism
- Fusee and chain driven musical box
- Maker / attribution
- Tobias Morris
Design
- Visible features
- • White enamel dial measuring 6.5 cm in diameter • Dancing figures positioned at the corners of the plinth • Basket of flowers finial featuring red and white brilliants • Grotesque animal mask feet supporting the square base
- Movement and Dial
- The current timekeeping movement is housed within a 7.2 cm diameter drum. It is characterized as a large watch movement, measuring 5.3 cm across the plates, and is widely considered to be a replacement for the original. The dial is white enamel, featuring an outer ring of minute dots and inner Arabic numerals. The hands are fashioned from brass, with the minute hand notably featuring a tail. Technical details of the movement include a pierced bridge balance-cock inscribed with the word 'PATENT'. The regulator mechanism utilizes an index that moves over an arc marked for speed adjustments, from 'SLOW' to 'FAST'.
- Signatures and Provenance
- The object is signed by the maker, Tobias Morris, on both the dial assembly and the movement backplate. The inscription 'No.144 MORRIS TOBIAS LONDON' identifies the piece and its series-based marking. These details are used to attribute the clock to the London market during the late 18th to early 19th century. The item entered the collection through the bequest of Lt. Col. G. B. Croft-Lyons, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (FSA). The piece remains identified by the accession number M.1107-1926, which links it directly to the Croft-Lyons donation records held by the museum.
- Case and Automaton Architecture
- The clock is built upon a substantial stepped square base, which rises through an elaborate multi-stage plinth structure. The architecture draws from Decorated Gothic influences, defined by a series of fluted and twisted columns. These elements support a double-canopied arrangement, which serves as the housing for the primary dial and various mechanical figures. The upper canopy is surmounted by an intricate finial fashioned as a basket of flowers, set with red and white brilliants. The automaton components are integrated into the base and canopy stages. A central platform holds a turbaned figure, surrounded by eight painted silhouette figures that revolve in a circular groove. Below this, a secondary set of figures is mounted on an internal traveling belt, moving horizontally across a landscape background. Draped female statuettes and dancing figures holding bouquets are positioned throughout the structure to complete the theatrical assembly. The motion for the clock's striking function was designed to connect with a draped female figure holding a bell-hammer, though the activation mechanism relies on the train of the clock movement.
Identification
- Serial number
- 144
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: The current movement is described as a probable replacement
- Research required: One dancing figure is noted as missing from the middle step of the plinth