A rare South German engraved gilt-brass and gilt-copper striking and automaton 'reiter uhr'

A rare South German engraved gilt-brass and gilt-copper striking and automaton \'reiter uhr\'

Probably Augsburg. Circa 1600

THE FIGURE: his body modelled in two sections, wearing cap and cape, with painted face, ruff collar and hands, with automaton head and right arm, the latter holding a sceptre; astride a finely chiselled horse with painted automaton eyes and ormolu automaton tail

THE BASE: the upper platform engraved with serpents, snails and foliage and inset with three silver dials, the moulded sides engraved with foliate scroll strapwork, and with a stag, a horse, a unicorn and a lion, each animal reserve with buildings in the background, the underside with plain copper plate with bell and winding apertures and raised on gilt-brass bun feet (possibly later)

THE DIALS: for hours (calibrated I-XII and 13-24), centred by an alarm disc (its centre with vestiges of enamel decoration); regulation (calibrated 1-5); and for strike recording; with alarm release latch by the hour dial, moving on a reserve inscribed SW/STE; all dials with gilt-brass hands

THE MOVEMENT: with oval plates, the bottom plate of gilded brass and the top plate of polished steel, joined by four front and back screwed steel pillars; the twin brass fusees with steel teeth and gut lines on brass barrels, steel verge crownwheel and plain steel three-arm spring (later) balance, with geared regulation from above, steel barrel for the alarm; the top plate with countwheel for hourly strike on bell below, the alarm using the same bell with a different hammer; restorations

THE AUTOMATA: activated by the countwheel on the hour and connected via arbors through the horse\'s left foreleg, causing the the horse\'s eyes and tail to move and the figure to move his head back and forth to the right and lower and raise his sceptre-bearing arm; all while the clock is striking; restorations

See movement details p.31

29.5 cm. high