STEPHEN RIMBAULT, LONDON

Object Description

A fine George II period ebonised Bracket Clock by this excellent London Clockmaker.
The break arch case is beautifully proportioned, surmounted by a gilt brass carrying handle and 3-pad moulded top. It rests on a moulded base with block feet and has glazed side panels to reveal the movement within. The front door features a simple brass escutcheon and lock. The deep black finish contrasts well with the gilt detailing of the dial and spandrels.
The 5-inch arch dial has a raised silvered brass chapter ring with Roman hour numerals and Arabic five minute markers. There is a central disc for setting the alarm and an inset date aperture above VI. The maker’s signature, Step.n Rimbault, London, is engraved on an inset cartouche between XI and I. A subsidiary strike/silent dial occupies the arch, enclosed by beautifully engraved foliate spandrels. The finely pierced and chased hands are of blued steel and appear to be original.
The backplate of the movement is profusely engraved with interlacing flowers and foliage. This decoration is repeated on the apron of the backcock and the alarm pulley. The maker’s name, Step.n Rimbault, London, is inscribed in flowing script, slightly beneath the centre. The high-quality twin fusee movement has a verge escapement and strikes and repeats the hours on a bell. There is also an alarm train.
Date: circa 1780

Height: 10 ½ in (27 cm) excluding handle
Height: 11 ¾ in (30 cm) including handle
Width: 7 ⅘ in (20 cm)
Depth: 5 ¾ in (14.5cm)

Object Literature

*Stephen Rimbault, born John Stephen Rimbault, worked in Great St Andrew’s Street between 1744- 1785. He is listed on page 656 of Brian Loomes’s Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World: Complete 21st Century Edition.
He is best known today for his musical and ornamental clocks often made for the export market, including for the Chinese Imperial court. This small elegant example, however, reflects his domestic craftsmanship at its most refined.
Rimbault was admitted to the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers in 1744, and his surviving clocks are increasingly recognised for their intrinsic quality and beauty.

Object Details