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1 of 253523 objects
Mantel clock 1875-76
Ivory, gilt metal | 30 x 51 x 22.7 cm (whole object) | RCIN 2866
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A mounted ivory casket with timepiece inset into front, the whole surmounted by a leopard on a rocky landscape. Mounted on a rectangular base resting on patinated bronze feet formed as seated leopards. The eight day rack timepiece has a going barrel movement and a Swiss lever escapement. The ivory dial has the 12 hours represented in Arabic numerals and chased gilt hands in the shape of a serpent – the hour hand as the head, tail denotes minutes.
Provenance
Presented to King Edward VII, when Prince of Wales, during his tour of India in 1875-76 in Madras.
Two brothers, Peter and Alexander Orr, arrived in Madras in 1843 from Scotland. Alexander was a lawyer and Peter was a watch and chronometer maker. After selling ice at four annas per pound, they joined the watchmakers, George Gordon & Co. They took over the business after the retirement of George Gordon in 1849 and turned around the fortunes of the fledgling company until it became an institution in Madras.
The iconic building housing P. Orr and Sons was commissioned by Peter Orr in 1879. It was built by the then consulting architect to the Government of Madras, Robert Chisholm, in a mix of Indo-Saracenic and the Byzantine styles, characterised by its elegant archways and tall roofs. -
Creator(s)
(clockmaker (case))(clockmaker (movement))Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Ivory, gilt metal
Measurements
30 x 51 x 22.7 cm (whole object)
Place of Production
Chennai [Tamil Nadu]
