PITTSFIELD, Mass. – A rare antique Chinese animated triple fusee bracket clock, running and striking with all animated mechanisms working, is expected to sell for between $500,000 and $750,000 at a cataloged antique auction planned for Saturday, May 21, at Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.
Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com. The auction will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern.
The clock (above) is both beautiful and functional. The hourly mechanism activates swimming ducks and spinning glass rods resembling a waterfall. A cluster of glass rods forms another waterfall in the top of the large-size gilt bronze case. The clock has a 6½-inch porcelain dial with black Roman numerals, and red jeweled characters that read “Da Ji” (Great Prosperity). It is 36½ inches tall.
The clock is the expected top earner in a 500-lot auction that will feature not just a superb clock collection, but watches, music boxes, lamps (by Tiffany, Duffner & Kimberly, Unique, Bigelow & Kennard, Suess, Handel and others), paintings, bronzes and marble statuary, art glass, jewelry, fine silver, porcelain, Royal Vienna, Lalique, sterling and gold items, bird boxes and automatons.
Also sold will be exceptional period furniture, by makers such as J. H. Belter, J. &. J.W. Meeks, R. J. Horner, Herter Brothers, Mitchell & Rammelsberg, Karpen and John Jeliff.
Anything bearing the Tiffany name is bound to attract attention. A Tiffany Studios Arrowroot table lamp (below) with a signed 20-inch diameter conical shade should realize $35,000-$40,000; and a mahogany Tiffany & Company and Walter Durfee nine-tube grandfather clock, 108 inches tall and in excellent shape, should rise to $12,000-$15,000.
For details contact John Fontaine at 413-448-8922 or email info@fontainesauction.com.
