Repeating watch

Francis Perigal|Francis Perigal Jr.

probably ca. 1770 · Dial: white enamel with black numerals and silver hands set with diamonds; Movement: gilded brass and partly blued steel · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

There are five Perigals listed in the eighteenth-century records of the London Clockmakers’ Company. This watch may have been made by the founder of the family, Francis Perigal (active 1741–70), who had a shop in the Royal Exchange, or by his son, also named Francis (active 1748–75). In the second half of the eighteenth century English watchmakers exported a large number of watches for use in Arabic-speaking territories. The numerals on the dials were not exactly those used in Arabic arithmetic, however, but were apparently adaptations made by European clockmakers.

Artist

Francis Perigal|Francis Perigal Jr.

Date

probably ca. 1770

Medium

Dial: white enamel with black numerals and silver hands set with diamonds; Movement: gilded brass and partly blued steel

Culture

British, London, made for Turkish market

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917