George III Bracket Clock, signed RALPH GOUT (active in 1770). London, last third of the 18th century.
Mahogany palm case with gilt bronze applications.
Signed dial, gilt and silvered, dial with striking override.
Eight days winding machine, square plate, engraved back, hour chiming on a bell.
Measurements: 52 x 28 x 19.5 cm.
Bracket type watch with mahogany palm case, signed by the English watchmaker Ralph Gout. Decorated with vegetal applications in gilded bronze, its structure is architectural. It has an arched façade, crowned with a cornice and a curved roof slope. It stands on a moulded base. Four ornamental bronze fleurons crown the case. The signed dial bears the numerals (Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the minutes) engraved in black on silver. On the spandrels and around the circle, gilt-bronze gilt-bronze vegetal compositions with openworked, classically-inspired foliage. The hands are Baroque in style, and a second dial gives the option of activating or deactivating the chime. The English developed a watchmaking mechanism that differed from that of the rest of Europe, based on an industry of specialised workshops that produced products of great technical perfection as early as the second half of the 17th century.