Globe clock
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1783-1785
This terrestrial globe clock features a gilt-metal terrestrial globe supported by three cast bronze putti, two of which represent the elements of Earth and Fire. Positioned at the equator of the globe is a dial designed as a concentric ring, where a snake's head pointer indicates the time. The Roman numerals for the hours are rendered in enamel.
The clock case was produced in Paris between 1783 and 1785 and originally contained a movement by the clockmaker Jean Romilly. Materials used in the piece include cast bronze, brass, steel, and enamel, formed using casting and engraving techniques. The overall sculpture measures 1175 mm in height and 503 mm in diameter. Between 1805 and 1810, the original French movement was adapted and replaced in London by Benjamin Vulliamy, and the clock was further restored by Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy. The plate of the lever movement is inscribed "VULLIAMY LONDON 155". Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy also added winding instructions and is likely responsible for adding the gong on which the clock strikes the hours.
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.
Historical context
Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy lent the globe clock to the Museum of Ornamental Art at Marlborough House in 1853, an early precursor of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Following Vulliamy's death, the museum acquired the clock from his executors in 1854. It appears depicted in an 1856 watercolour of the Marlborough House displays by William Linnaeus Casey.
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Globe clock
- Museum object number
- 4311-1857
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.