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Most clocks are designed to quietly tell the time - tick, strike, repeat. But every so often, clockmakers produced pieces that demanded attention. Part engineering, part theatre, and often highly decorative, these clocks reflect moments when technology, design and taste collided. The following examples show just how expressive horology could become from the late nineteenth century onward.
Few objects capture nineteenth-century optimism quite like a steam locomotive. André Romain Guilmet (1827–1896), born in La Ferté-Gaucher, France, built his reputation on inventive horological designs, particularly mystery clocks and elaborate novelty pieces. He patented several mechanical ideas and became known for clocks celebrating modern industry, windmills, steam engines, lighthouses and locomotives among them.
This bronze locomotive automaton clock, after Guilmet’s original model, follows that tradition. The dial is integrated into the body of the train alongside instruments such as a barometer and thermometer, a reminder of the era’s fascination with scientific measurement. A separate automaton mechanism animates the wheels, independent of the time train, turning the piece into a kinetic display as much as a clock. Guilmet’s industrial series, produced largely in the late nineteenth century, coincided with the height of European railway expansion and the widespread fascination with mechanical progress.
The Paris bronze mantel clock by Guyerdet and Romilly belongs to the rich decorative clockmaking tradition of nineteenth-century France. Clocks signed Guyerdet, Paris generally date from the early to mid-nineteenth century and reflect the collaborative nature of the Paris clock trade, where retailers or assemblers frequently sourced movements from specialist makers. The firm’s name appears on a range of decorative French clocks and watches of the period, with examples preserved in museum collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, underscoring its place within the broader tradition of Parisian luxury horology.
The additional signature of Romilly on the mechanism references the prestigious earlier watchmaking name associated with Jean Romilly (1714–1796), the Genevan-born Paris horologist known for his technical writings and Enlightenment-era reputation. The acanthus scroll gilt-bronze case with urn finial reflects the classical revival taste typical of French mantel clocks produced between 1830 and 1880, when ornamental gilt-bronze clocks formed an essential element of fashionable French interior.
The Black Forest region of southern Germany became a major clockmaking centre during the nineteenth century, exporting widely to Britain and America. Among its best-known makers were Emilian Wehrle (1832–1896) of Furtwangen, whose firm specialised in musical, automaton and novelty clocks. Wehrle’s workshop combined traditional wood carving with increasingly sophisticated mechanical movements, often incorporating bellows driven musical mechanisms and animated figures.
This Victorian walnut cased trumpeter clock, possibly by Wehrle, fits squarely within this tradition. Automaton trumpeter clocks typically animate on the hour through a separate musical train, with figures moving while sound is produced. In this example, the Highland trumpeters, with their raised instruments, signal the moment just a fanfare sounds. These trumpeter clocks and carved stag clocks (lot 389) were especially popular in England and America between 1870 and 1900, when Black Forest makers capitalised on the Victorian appetite for decorative novelty and mechanical ingenuity.
The Triple Fusee Mantel Clock
The defining feature of this late nineteenth century mantel clock is its triple fusee movement. The fusee mechanism dates back to early spring driven clocks, but English makers such as Thomas Tompion (1639–1713) and George Graham (1673–1751) helped standardise the high quality fusee movements.
Each fusee, a cone shaped pulley connected to the mainspring by a chain, regulates power as the spring unwinds, improving consistency in both timekeeping and chiming. Separate trains drive the time, the chiming sequence and the hour strike. The chimes sound on tuned rods or gongs, producing a clear, sustained tone, followed by a deeper hour strike, creating the rich layered sound in Victorian interiors.
Works Sold at Adam’s Now in the Irish National Collection
A great opportunity to purchase both established and lesser-known artist’s work at an accessible price point, the Online Picture Auction is the first of many sales to be hosted at Adam’s in 2026. It is perfect for those looking to start a collection and the discerning collector alike.
Through this article, let our expert Adam Pearson guiding you to the (re)discovery of the once established Irish painter Richard O’Neill.
Buying at Auction and the Role of Antiques in a Modern Home
Important Irish Art Auction Highlights
Oliver Dowling Collection by Aidan Dunne
2024 is a year in which Adam’s wants to recognise the key role buying antique furniture and furnishings at auction contributes greatly to the sustainable initiative. In 2019 the Environmental Protection Agency reported stark figures that each year in Ireland 1.2 million reusable bulky items, primarily furniture goes into landfill. Similar to the problem of ‘fast fashion’, the constant production and consumption of new items is leading to rapidly growing waste problem. We want to acknowledge those who are already buying second hand or antique furniture at auction and to encourage new buyers by highlighting the benefits of acquiring affordable, well-made quality items that are built to last.
Irish author, recipe creator and lifestyle influencer, Indy Parsons, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
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Cork-born Irish actress, Sarah Greene, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
Yvonne Aupicq had met Orpen, we understand, while working as a nurse during the war. He had been admitted to hospital with a suspected case of scabies which ended up being a far more serious case of blood poisoning as he recounts in his wartime memoir ‘An Onlooker in France’. Their relationship continued after 1918 when Orpen was appointed as the official artist to The Paris Peace Conference. They relocated to capital and over the following decade he painted her numerous times, often nude as in Amiens 1914, or The Rape and Nude Girl Reading (1921). Working with her as his model during these early years after the war allowed Orpen an opportunity to re-fuel his creativity.
Editor-in-Chief of IMAGE Publications, Lizzie Gore-Grimes, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
Our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction on September 13th features a prime example of Van Cleef & Arpel's renowned 'Mystery Setting'
Our June auction offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the great masterpieces of Irish art and icons of Dublin’s history.
Georgia Chiesa selects some of her favourite lots in the upcoming Vintage Wine & Spirits Auction
"Beating the bounds is a tradition that can be traced back to the medieval period. At this time, land was divided into parishes and the clergy and church wardens held the responsibility for its upkeep and management. It was up to the Church to ensure that its parishioners knew the local boundary lines and, before maps became commonplace, this had to be kept as a mental record."
Adam’s in conjunction with Suzanne MacDougald are proud to host an online timed auction of artworks to aid the Irish Red Cross’s humanitarian work in delivering vital services to millions of people impacted by the conflict in Ukraine. With no buyers premium 100% of the hammer price will go directly to the Irish Red Cross.
Ros Drinkwater writes of Jack B Yeats' 'The Boat' in the Business Post:
With a consolidated result of €320,000,the At Home sale in Stephan’s Green, was a great success.
James Adam & Sons Ltd, Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, 26 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
D02 X665, Ireland
