Douglas Fisher

A particularly decorative late 19th-century French singing bird box, attributed to Flajoulot, circa 1895, the rectangular case executed in rich tortoiseshell and finely worked in the...

Moser & Cie Silver and Blue Guilloché Enamel Quarter Repeating Carriage Clock, circa 1910 A particularly fine and unusual Swiss silver and translucent blue guilloché enamel quarter-repeating carriage clock, retailed by the celebrated firm Moser & Cie, circa 1910 and made for the Russian market. The rectangular silver case is beautifully decorated to the front, sides and top with rich translucent royal-blue enamel over finely engine-turned guilloché decoration. Different patterns have been employed across the case, including an especially attractive radiating sunburst design beneath the dial, which gives the enamel remarkable depth and brilliance as it catches the light. The clock is surmounted by an elegant scrolling silver carrying handle, with the quarter-repeat button positioned centrally on the top of the case. The white enamel dial is signed “MOSER & CIE”, with stylised black Arabic numerals and an outer minute track. Particularly attractive are the original gold hands, providing a luxurious contrast against the white dial and vivid blue guilloche enamel. The rear silver door opens to reveal a high-quality Swiss quarter-repeating movement, which strikes the hours and quarters on demand when the button on the top of the clock is depressed. Of particular interest, the movement is stamped NOCTURNE and BREVET 30225. Nocturne was a specialist Swiss maker of sophisticated small clock movements and is particularly notable for having supplied movements to Cartier, placing the mechanism within the sphere of the finest Swiss-made luxury clocks of the early 20th century. The combination of a Nocturne quarter-repeating movement with a case retailed by Moser & Cie is especially appealing. The combination of Swiss and Russian marks is particularly appropriate for H. Moser & Cie, whose history was intimately connected with Imperial Russia. Heinrich Moser, born into a Swiss watchmaking family in Schaffhausen in 1805, travelled to Russia as a young watchmaker and established H. Moser & Cie in St Petersburg in 1828. The company rapidly developed a prestigious clientele amongst the Russian aristocracy and Imperial Court, while its watches and movements were produced through Moser's Swiss manufacturing operations. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, H. Moser & Cie had become one of the most respected names in the Russian luxury watch trade, with its Swiss manufacture producing everything from straightforward watches to highly complicated timepieces for its wealthy Russian clientele. This clock dates from the fascinating final period of that relationship, shortly before the Russian Revolution brought the firm's Imperial Russian business to an end. The combination of H. Moser & Cie, translucent guilloché enamel, high-grade silver, Imperial Russian provenance and a complicated repeating movement makes this an especially rare survival from the golden age of Russian luxury objects. Dating from the years immediately preceding the Russian Revolution of 1917, this clock is a particularly evocative survival from the final period of Imperial Russia, when firms such as Moser commissioned some of the finest Swiss manufacturers to produce luxury objects for their Russian clientele. The silver case bears Swiss silver marks, together with a Russian import/control mark, consistent with its manufacture in Switzerland for the Russian market. With its rich blue guilloché enamel, gold hands, sophisticated quarter-repeating Nocturne movement, Moser & Cie signature and Imperial Russian provenance, this is an exceptionally attractive and highly collectable example of an early 20th-century luxury travelling clock...

An exceptionally rare and imposing English Regency mantel clock, circa 1810, modelled as the ancient mother goddess Cybele, seated upon a throne and holding the clock in her hands an...

A superb and highly decorative French automaton lighthouse clock and weather compendium by André Romain Guilmet of Paris, circa 1880, from his celebrated series of Industrial novelty...

An exceptionally elegant pair of George III ormolu, patinated bronze and white marble griffin candlesticks, after the celebrated design by Sir William Chambers (1723–1796), architect...

Swiss Silver & Imperial Yellow Guilloché Enamel Miniature Alarm Carriage Clock by E. Mathey-Tissot retailed by Tiffany A particularly attractive and rare Swiss miniature silver and...

Early Engraved Gilt-Bronze Strut Clock No. 565 by Thomas Cole for C.F. Hancock, circa 1850/51 A rare and early engraved gilt-bronze strut clock by Thomas Cole (1800–1864), numbered 5...

A superb 19th-century French patinated bronze sculpture of a lion by the celebrated animalier sculptor Jules Moigniez (1835–1894). The lion is modelled standing alert and powerfully ...

Charles Frodsham, Clockmaker to the Queen Fine French Hour Repeating Carriage Clock in Original Leather Travelling Case French, circa 1880. A fine quality French gilt bronze carriage...

Arthur Joseph Meadows (1843–1907) "Littlehampton" Oil on canvas. England, circa 1870–1880. A beautifully executed coastal landscape by the celebrated British marine painter Arthur Jo...

An exceptionally rare French Palais Royal musical sewing box of magnificent diamond sarcophagus form, crafted in finely chased gilt bronze and mounted with exquisitely engraved mother-of-pearl panels, French, circa 1830. The architectural case is adorned throughout with engraved mother-of-pearl panels delicately decorated with floral sprays, framed by richly chased gilt bronze borders and raised upon an elegant pierced gallery base with scrolling foliate feet. The faceted lid is surmounted by a turquoise cabochon finial, completing one of the most sophisticated and desirable designs produced by the celebrated Palais Royal workshops. Opening the lid reveals a sumptuous ruched silk-lined interior above a fitted crimson velvet tool tray retaining an excellent suite of original carved mother-of-pearl sewing implements, including scissors, needle case, stiletto, bodkin, thread winder, crochet hook and winding key. Beneath the tray is concealed the original musical movement. The movement is fitted with an early segmented steel comb, a feature associated with the finest early nineteenth-century musical mechanisms, and plays two separate airs on a pinned cylinder. Segmented comb movements are considerably scarcer than later one-piece comb examples and are highly prized by collectors for both their early construction and superior tonal quality. During the first half of the nineteenth century, the Palais Royal in Paris was Europe's foremost centre for luxury goods, where the finest bronziers, jewellers and tabletiers collaborated to produce exquisite objets de vertu for an international clientele. Musical sewing boxes represented the pinnacle of fashionable luxury, combining practical utility with exceptional craftsmanship and ingenious mechanical design. Examples of this distinctive diamond sarcophagus form are among the rarest Palais Royal sewing...

A charming and finely executed Swiss sub-miniature carriage clock in sterling silver, beautifully decorated throughout with vibrant turquoise-blue guilloché enamel over an engine-tur...

Antique and very unusual true pair of English regency lustre candlesticks of an owl and rabbit. Constructed of patinated bronze, ormolu and blue tarquin marble each with 12 lustre dr...

Swiss Silver and Cloisonné Enamel Sub-Miniature Carriage Clock by Zenith Watch Co., Circa 1910 An exceptionally elegant Swiss sterling silver and cloisonné enamel sub-miniature carri...

Art Deco Silver Manicure Set on Convex Glass Base Birmingham, 1935 – Maker's mark S & M An elegant and highly decorative Art Deco silver manicure set, complete with its original sta...

A Silver and guilloche enamel cigar humidor. With engine turned, starburst pattern. Silver hallmarks of lion passant, which is British standard finess mark, and anchor silver mark f...

A very attractive Art Nouveau white carrera marble, patinated bronze and marble vert bust signed A. Gory Paris, for Affortunato Gory (1895-1925). A practitioner of chryselephantine s...

A fine Grand Tour bronze of Narcissus on a circular base of fine griotte marble An excellent cast with high quality finishing and a lovely slightly rubbed patina showing the bleed. O...

Edwardian Silver and Guilloché Enamel Four-Bottle Scent Set, London 1913 A particularly elegant and unusual Edwardian silver-mounted four-bottle scent set, hallmarked for London, 191...

French Blonde Tortoiseshell Mantel Clock by Samuel Marti, Paris, Queen Anne Style, Circa 1880 A particularly elegant and unusual French mantel clock dating from the late nineteenth c...

A small French vase clock of the highest quality. The clock is fitted within the body of an enamelled lidded vase. The body of the vase of silvered bronze & enamelled in deep blue. T...

A fine and very rare silver-gilt and pictorial enamel Memento Mori singing bird box, by Karl Griesbaum, Circa 1925, model number 7A, Going-barrel movement, Serial number 1...

A delightful and highly unusual Swiss sterling silver and enamel sub miniature carriage clock by Juvenia, dating to circa 1920–1930. Elegantly executed in the emerging Art Deco taste...

A charming and exceptionally petite Swiss silver and enamel sub miniature carriage clock, dating to circa 1920, and signed Pontana to the dial. Executed with remarkable precision and...

A fine and elegant Edwardian silver carriage clock by the esteemed Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Company Ltd., hallmarked for London, 1907. Compact in scale yet refined in execution, thi...

A finely cast Italian Grand Tour bronze model of the celebrated Dancing Faun of Florence, after the celebrated Hellenistic antique in the Uffizi Gallery, where the marble has remaine...

A finely cast patinated bronze figure of Napoleon Bonaparte depicted standing in contemplative pose, dressed in his iconic bicorne hat, military uniform and sweeping greatcoat, his h...

A charming English silver and guilloche enamel strut clock, dating to the Art Deco period. The circular silver case is beautifully adorned with translucent turquoise blue guilloche e...

A very good Grand Tour bronze of Narcissus, after the celebrated Pompeian antique. A superb quality cast, crisply finished throughout, with a rich, slightly rubbed patina revealing w...

A particularly elegant and well proportioned late 19th century singing bird box, housed in a rich tortoiseshell case of restrained yet sophisticated form. The rectangular case, gentl...

A Fine English Regency Derbyshire Black Marble Mantel Clock by Payne, 163 New Bond Street, London, Circa 1825 A refined and architecturally pure English Regency mantel clock in Derb...

A refined and evocative set of three very fine antique Grand Tour architectural models models of ancient remains in Rome, each fine cast in patinated bronze and mounted on shaped ma...

A good mid 19th century French Grand Tour model of the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. Constructed of patinated bronze , the effigy of Napoleon lies on a platform below the architectural...

French Empire ormolu pair of cassolettes of outstanding quality and of good size and proportion A quite exceptional pair of cassolettes in mint original condition. Fine mercury gilt...

A very attractive English Edwardian tortoiseshell, scarlet tortoiseshell, silver & silver piquet carriage clock. Tortoiseshell panels to the sides & solid silver back door. The tort...

A good near pair of English Derbyshire black marble and pietra dura obelisks. Decorated with inset various marbles to the front with pietra dura flowers to the base. Circa 1840

Fine Bruguier fusee singing bird box in silver gilt and enamel. The box with movement and box signed and numbered Ch. Bruguier a Geneve 165. Fine quality, shaped case with enamel is ...

A very fine blond tortoiseshell lancet topped mantel clock with silver stringing and bun feet. The superb tortoiseshell veneers with blonde gold highlights surround the clock complet...

A substantial and very fine quality late French Empire Verde marble and ormolu figural encrier or inkwell. Extremely well cast winged goddess of victory seated on a classical style k...

A fine, large and important French Empire clock of Apollo playing his lyre in patinated bronze, ormolu and antique vert marble. The dial is signed for the important maker Lepine and ...

A superb Napoleon III gilt bronze and satin lined photo frame, with space for three photos. Superb gilt bronze mounts, of good size. With a strut foot, or hoops, allowing it to be pl...

A fine patinated bronze sculpture of Napoleon on horseback. Superb detail and definition on this sculpture and pleasing rubbing to the patination.

A very pretty double side, silver and imperial yellow guilloche enamel cigarette or card case. Superb engine turned design. Inside case, which is gilded, marked with silver marks of ...

A superb pair of English Regency mirrors of classical form. The reeded columns with square bases and topped with superbly carved capitals. Th pediment carved, gilded and set with Pri...

A rare and unusual French Directoire/ Empire clock depicting Napoleon standing among trophies of war including cannon, cannon balls, map scrolls and standards bearing eagles. The sil...

A fine antique sculpture of a stallion, titled 'Cheval Arabe no.1' cast in bronze and signed by the most eminent of equine sculptors P. J. Mene. The bronze of small size but beautif...

A fine patinated bronze sculpture of Napoleon Bonaparte on his horse Marengo. Set upon a sienna marble base.

A fine silver pique work and tortoiseshell inlaid photo frame by Henry Matthews. Silver hall marks for Henry Matthews, Birmingham, 1916. With silver, hallmarked strut backing.

A sublime silver gilt and full radial guilloche enamel with highlights, singing bird box, with original silver and enamel key and original leather carry case. When wound and the bird-form start/stop button actuated, the magic starts immediately with the bird lid...

A fine pair of French enamel, brass and mother of pearl opera glasses, pink enamelled and jewelled barrels, with mother of pearl caps. Go...

An attractive true pair of chinoiserie French Charles X period ormolu candelabra. Set upon six sides bases with florally decorated six sided stems. On one stem stands the figure of a...

Fine antique French Empire Ormolu mantel clock of a chariot drawn by two winged horses carrying the chariot with a female figure. Thi...

An impressive pair of early 19th century French Empire ormolu candelabra, in the form of winged figures of standing ladies, holding aloft flowerhead decorated nozzles, linked by flor...

A fine and impressive sized patinated bronze figure of Chronos, set upon a sienna marble base. A finely cast bronze figure of Chronos, the Greek personification of time. The detaile...

A fine and unusual silver plate and shagreen cigarette case. Shagreen was a popular but rare material used in the 19th century on certain fine pieces, such as clocks and cases. Its b...

A very fine and rare silver shibayama tobacco and combination vesta case lid and strikers on pot. Decorated with individual hand crafted insects in semi precious stones. The Shiba...

Fabulous antique French Charles X miniature mantel clock of Cupid carrying off time. This has to be one of my all time favourite French Empire or Charles X period mantel clocks. Enti...

French Empire ormolu candlesticks of outstanding quality. Set on a circular base with unusually a decorated band around the top outside edge of the base comprising dots within diamon...

A most attractive agate urn. Decorated at the rim and foot with hatched decoration in silver gilt. Around the body of the vase are five swags of flowers and ribbons held in place by ...

A most unusual Austrian polychrome cold painted bronze of a boy with cheroot cutter. The boy lying down and having a wide brimmed hat on his head and knee length britches. In his mou...