Case: Decorated overall with panels of royal blue guilloche enamel embellished with delicate metal foils of gold and green to depict peacock feathers, and with golden fronds interlaced with multi-colored garlands of flowers, the domed top surmounted by a later cresting with green and red paste-set automaton Catherine wheel revolving against a mirrored plate and within an ormolu sunburst frame, the sides of the cresting applied with paste-set vine leaf mounts, the rear also with a mirror plate, this set with a foliate cast boss, the case angles with beaded and engraved projecting volute and foliate scroll mounts, the side panels with trellis mounts cast as trailing husks dividing panels of peacock feathers, with floral swag mounts to the four cornices and engraved swags to the panels of the platform above them, each corner mounted with a stiff-leaf clasped neo-classical vase, the rear door is an openwork cast panel modelled with mythical phoenixes and floral decoration, the front with conforming decorative panels and with paste-set music selection and hand-set knobs flanking the dial, further paste-set border to the automaton scene concealed by a sliding panel decorated in polychrome enamels with geometric patterns, on a plinth cast with a heavy berried laurel border, the rear applied with paper inventory label 2 and supported on four ormolu and enamel out-swept leaf cast feet with lion's head terminals.
Dial: with paste-set bezel and convex glass to white enamel Roman and Arabic chapter ring with crossed minute track, delicate gilt-metal spade dragon type hour and minute hands, adjusted by the left knob above.
Automata: hourly, or by depression of a button to the side of the case, the Catherine-wheel at the top revolves and the shutter at the front rises, revealing a scene of two rows of painted metal sailing ships moving in two directions between two spiral-twist glass rods simulating the sea, a cam causing them also to rock naturalistically, with a glass panel behind them reverse painted with trees and a bridge, this laid before a series of spiral-twist glass rods revolving to simulate water falls; all while music plays.
Movement: the movement with rectangular plates secured by six pillars, rear-wound triple chain and fuses, pinwheel escapement mounted on the back plate, with good quality steel-suspended pendulum, secured with a holdfast, the music playing two tunes on seven bells (formerly eight) via fourteen hammers (formerly sixteen) and 2½ in. (6 cm.) diameter pinned barrel, the quarters and hours struck on two further bells positioned on the back plate, with button for repeating the hours to the right side of the case, ; the music selected by the right knob above the dial and with strike/silent lever above XII.
Provenance: From the collections of William Bullart (1917 - 2019), a life long resident of Atlanta. He was an Atlanta native and a member of "The Greatest Generation." He was third of four children. He entered the US Navy serving as a SeeBee during WWII in the Asiatic Pacific arena in Luzon, Philippine Islands, and Okinawa, Japan. He was part of Fleet Admirals William Leahy honor guard and among the first service member setting foot in Japan a few days before days before the peace terms were signed, ending WWII. Returning to Atlanta after the war he joined an international engineering firm and was a consultant on numerous overseas projects. Travel, sports and collecting beautiful antiques was his passion in life.
Condition: Overall in excellent condition.
Weight: 10 Kilograms.
Dimension: Length: 32cm Width: 26cm Height: 60cm