JOSEPH SOLDANO, PARIS A FINE LATE 19TH CENTURY FRENCH

A FINE LATE 19TH CENTURY FRENCH GILT BRASS QUARTER CHIMING CARRIAGE CLOCK WITH ALARM AND REPEAT BY JOSEPH SOLDANO, PARIS CIRCA 1880
the gorge case with swing handle over, the top of the case with bevelled glass panel and engine turned gilt mask with viewing aperture to inspect the escapement, and push repeat button, with bevelled glass sides and back door, the mask also with engine turned decoration, the enamelled dial with Roman numerals and Arabic five minute markers centred by stylised foliage, the subsidiary alarm dial below, the twin barrel movement striking the quarters on two gongs, ting tang, and the hours on a single gong, with lever platform escapement, the backplate stamped 'J.S. PARIS', and numbered 5308, the underneath with a sliding switch for silent / quarters / hours, together with a leather covered travelling case and what appears to be the original winder,
18cm high

The movement is winding, ticking and striking and the push repeat is working but not fully tested or guaranteed.

Joseph Soldano was a notable maker, winning bronze medals in the 1855 and 1878 Paris Exhibitions, where his clocks were described as follows:
“The Exhibition of this establishment showed substantial progress in the art of case decoration. On show were a group of carriage clocks ornamented with great taste and originality. The finish of these movements was conventional, but the escapements appeared to us to have been treated with particular care. Several items merited the highest praise.” (Revue Chronométrique, 1880, p.70, report on 1878 Exhib.)
LITERATURE
Charles Allix,'Carriage Clocks–their History & Development', Antique Collectors’ Club, 1974.