An Engraved Gorge Carriage Clock by Holingue frères for Grohe, London

An Engraved Gorge Carriage Clock by Holingue frères for Grohe, London.

The eight-day duration movement strikes the hours and half-hours on a bell with a push repeat button to the top of the case and has a matt gilt-brass platform lever escapement in a layout typical of this maker, with a club-tooth 'scape wheel and numbered to the underside along with the escapement makers initial FR as seen on a number of clocks at this period signed for both Holingue and Drocourt. The backplate is stamped with typical Holingue/Drocourt markings along with the serial number 4224, whilst the inside of the movement plates is stamped with the roulant blanc (rough movement) number 10987; both numbers corresponding to the correct Holingue/Drocourt sequence, with the front of the frontplate stamped H.L. for Holingue.

The white enamel dial has black Roman hour numerals, dots on the outer aspect for each five-minute interval and blued steel moon hands. The dial centre is engraved for the retailer Grohe, 7 Wigmore Street, London who was supplied by both Holingue and Drocourt and who engraved their own serial number to the rim of the base, on this clock being 3754, which also corresponds to the correct serial number sequence when compared to others seen.

The rear of the dial is signed for the dialmaker Adolphe Mojon, more details of whom can be found in the Drocourt Exhibition catalogue of 2014.

The gorge case is typical in style of those used by this maker with the more squat five-bail handle as opposed to that used by Jacot and is fully engraved with floral decoration, with a matching engraved mask to the dial and is stamped to the rim of the base with the serial number for Grohe, 3754.

 The Holingue brothers, Jean-Francois and Louis, were fine makers of carriage clocks, having taken over the Saint-Nicolas-d’Aliermont business of their father Jean-Baptiste in the mid-1840s, following a short period of Jean-Francois working alone as Holingue fils. They supplied many of the top makers of the period with both movements and complete clocks including  Paul Garnier, Moise Bolviller, Athanese Bourdin, Leroy and Drocourt. Alfred Drocourt bought the Saint-Nicolas house and workshops from the Holingue family in circa 1875 following the decision by Louis-Albert, son of Louis, to settle in Paris having married the daughter of the carriage clock maker Victor Reclus.

I have been researching the Holingue family, their clocks and their relationship with the Drocourt clockmaking family with a summary of the research available in my 2014 Drocourt Exhibition catalogue available to view from my website, with details of the dial maker Mojon available within the 2013 Jacot Exhibition catalogue.

Dimensions

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

Condition report

Stock number