A CANTON GILT-BRONZE CARRIAGE MIRROR INCORPORATING A WATCH QING DYNASTY, LATE 18TH CENTURY

suspended from a ring, the circular watch with Arabic and Roman numerals on white enamel dial, encircled by an inlaid ring of red and blue glass paste gems, signed "W. Beckford, London, 12969" on the back, all surrounded by a gilt-bronze frame of scrolling foliage in openwork, above a lobed mirror framed by a border similarly decorated with florets and foliage in low relief

The gilt-bronze mirror frame has some chips to the interior edges, with the longest one measuring only 0.7 cm, in addition to a 3 mm opening, as well as some dents and bents to the top. There is some expected tarnishing to the mirror and gilt surface. There are also some minor losses to the gilding. Three glass paste around the dial are missing, and the watch is no longer functioning. The back glass cover of the watch has two minor chips to the interior.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The Qing emperors were endlessly fascinated by Western mechanical ornaments and scientific instruments that arrived at court as tribute, of which timepieces were particularly favoured. Yang Boda in the catalogue to the exhibition, Tributes from Guangdong to the Qing Court, Art Gallery, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1987, p. 55, notes that most of the imported timepieces were made in London and Chinese clocksmiths in Guangzhou were commissioned to create accurate copies of imported clocks from the early 18^th century following an edict in the fourteenth year of Qianlong's reign (p. 63). He further mentions the great demand for watches and clocks by the Qing emperors who 'lived and worked under the chimes of their clocks' which embellished every wall and table of the Palace complex as well as 'watches for the saddle on horseback and clocks for the sedanchair' (p. 63).

This piece was created to adorn the interior of a carriage. Although no other closely related appears to be published, a gilt-copper dressing table with a similar rococo-styled watch surmounting a mirror, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Scientific and Technical Instruments of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 1998, pl. 178; and a gilt-bronze inlaid handmirror, with a watch surmounting the mirror, is published in The 200 Pieces You should Know. Timepieces, Beijing, 2007, pl. 168.

The engraved name, W. Beckford, suggests that this piece has been made in imitation of a William Beckford original, an English watchmaker of the 18^th century.  An inlaid handmirror of lobed form, with a watch above the handle and signed 'William Beckford', in the Patek Phillipe Museum, Geneva, was included in the exhibition The Values of a Family Watch Company, St Regis, Singapore, 2010.