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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Clock · Carriage clock

Rare Fusee Carriage Timepiece

Partially verified

This carriage timepiece features a single chain fusee movement with maintaining power, designed to run for a week on a single winding. The clock is housed in an engraved gilt bronze case that incorporates malachite gemstone panels on the top, front, and sides, surrounded by plates with foliate engraving. The case is surmounted by a decorative chased carrying handle. The back door of the case is engraved with a depiction of a jousting knight on horseback. The silvered dial, which features Roman numerals and a foliate center, is framed by an engraved gilt mask and fitted with blued steel hands. While the clock is signed "Cottebrune of Dean Street, Soho" on the rear of the dial, the source attributes the construction to the workshop of Thomas Cole, noting similarities in engraving and multilayered case design to other documented examples by that maker.

Front view of the fusee carriage timepiece, showing the malachite panels and engraved gilt case.
Front view of the fusee carriage timepiece, showing the malachite panels and engraved gilt case. — The Clock & Watch Shop. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
theclockandwatchshop.co.uk
Category
Clock · Carriage clock
Maker / attribution
Attributed to Thomas Cole; signed Cottebrune
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
Source URL identifies the listing
Source-reported date
Not established
Source-reported place
Not established

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Case Construction and Ornamentation

The clock is contained within an original gilt bronze case. The top, front, and sides of the structure are inset with panels of malachite, which display banded patterns. These gemstone elements are contained within gilded plates finished with foliate engraving.

A decorative chased carrying handle is mounted to the top. The rear door of the case features an engraving of a jousting knight on horseback, a decorative detail distinct from the foliate patterns on the frame.

Evidence for this section
  • “original gilt bronze case, the top, front, and sides inset with malachite gemstone panels with particularly nice banded patterns on display, framed by gilded plates with foliate engraving.”
  • “The case is surmounted by a decorative chased carrying handle, and to the rear a jousting knight on horseback engraved into the back door.”

Dial and Timekeeping

The clock face consists of an engraved and silvered dial featuring Roman numerals and a foliate-patterned center. The dial is set within an engraved gilt mask, and the time is indicated by a pair of blued steel hands.

The movement is a single chain fusee type equipped with maintaining power.

Evidence for this section
  • “The beautifully engraved and silvered dial is framed by a gilt engraved 'mask' with Roman numerals, foliate centre, and blued steel hands.”
  • “The single chain fusee movement and maintaining power will run for a week on a single wind.”

Attribution and Signatures

The rear side of the dial bears a signature for Cottebrune, located at 29 Dean Street, Soho.

Attribution of the clock's production points to the workshop of Thomas Cole, a clockmaker originally from Somerset. This attribution is based on the similarities in the engraving and the multilayered construction of the case when compared to known works by Cole, despite the absence of his signature on this specific piece.

Evidence for this section
  • “The rear of the dial is signed Cottebrune of Dean Street, Soho.”
  • “It’s very likely from the workshops of the fashionable, Somerset born clockmaker Thomas Cole.”
  • “The engraving and multilayered construction is almost identical to another Cole clock we have in stock.”

Open research questions

  • What is the specific relationship between the retailer Cottebrune and the workshop of Thomas Cole?
  • Are there archival records linking Cottebrune of 29 Dean Street to the importation or finishing of Thomas Cole movements?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Rare Fusee Carriage Timepiece
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
Movement typeSingle chain fusee with maintaining power“The single chain fusee movement and maintaining power will run for a week on a single wind.”
SignedCottebrune of Dean Street, Soho“The rear of the dial is signed Cottebrune of Dean Street, Soho.”
Case materialsGilt bronze and malachite“original gilt bronze case, the top, front, and sides inset with malachite gemstone panels”
DecorationJousting knight on horseback“to the rear a jousting knight on horseback engraved into the back door.”
Dial detailsSilvered dial with Roman numerals“The beautifully engraved and silvered dial is framed by a gilt engraved 'mask' with Roman numerals, foliate centre, and blued steel hands.”
AttributionThomas Cole workshop“It’s very likely from the workshops of the fashionable, Somerset born clockmaker Thomas Cole.”

Visible details

  • Malachite panels on multiple faces
  • Engraved jousting knight on rear door
  • Blued steel hands on silvered dial

Research qualifications

  • Maker is attributed to Thomas Cole, not confirmed by signature
  • Cottebrune's origin and exact working dates are uncertain

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

Rare Fusee Carriage Timepiece

Reviewed 2026-11-02 · Record 49daf5e8a1

Terms in this record

Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.

Other carriage clock records