 |
The "Kylin" Clock
Mid Eighteenth Century Case with
Mid Seventeenth Century Artifacts
Ormolu, Porcelain
Purchased by King George IV, 1820
The Royal Collection |
Gilt bronze fruit, berries, stems, leaves and lotus flowers comprise the case of this highly ornamental clock which was initially constructed in the mid-Eighteenth Century by an unknown French clockmaker. This ornate construct was created to showcase Asian artifacts which include a pair of what is described as Chinese “Lions,” but which to me seem more likely to be Foo Dogs. These porcelain figures date to the mid-Seventeenth Century, and were incorrectly thought to be hybrid creatures of Chinese mythology called “Kylin,” hence the name of the clock. Other Seventeenth Century porcelain pieces included in the clock’s case are parts of a blue and white teapot, a Chinese bowl which has been inverted to accommodate the face of the clock and a Japanese Arita group of two boys which stand just above the dial.
King George IV purchased this clock in 1820 to add to his growing collection in his seaside monstrosity at Brighton. As was often the case with George IV, he had the clock gutted, removing its works and replacing them with an updated French movement which ran for eight days between windings. In 1847, the clock was removed from the Brighton Pavilion and brought to the Pavilion Room at Buckingham Palace where it sat on the mantle overlooking Royals as they ate their breakfast.
3 comments:
That thing is just so ugly that it's beautiful.
That's exactly what I thought, too!
George IV had his own sense of style; flamboyant but it worked! See his Chinese pavilion at Brighton for instance. I imagine he was intrigued by the Chinosery aspects of this clock and bought it for that reason. As to replacing the internal mechanism, George IV was a strong believer in "If an item has a function (in addition to its beauty) then that function should work as well as possible." Hence replacing the older clockwork with a newer sort.
Post a Comment