DIEGO EVANS in London, mahogany and mahogany veneer parquet - Lot 89

DIEGO EVANS in London, mahogany and mahogany veneer parquet CLOCK The pagoda-shaped mahogany veneered cabinet houses a weight movement, the silvered brass dial signed "Diego Evans Bolsa Real" in London for the Spanish market. With small chimes for the four quarters and the hour. Seconds movement with eight-day power reserve. Minute dial in the center, subsidiary dial for seconds, hour disc showing through in the lower half of the dial. Above, a dial to deactivate the chime when striking. Quarter and hour chimes playing time tunes on a nest of eight bells with eight hammers. Roman numerals, cut-out hands. Two winding holes. Movement to be overhauled, minor visible damage. Signed "DIEGO EVANS, Bolsa Real, LONDON". London work for the Spanish market in the early 19th century. H. 256 cm L. 54,5 cm P. 28 cm (wear and tear, accidents, cracks and dents in the veneer) The carillon is that of St. Mary-le-Bow Church in London, known as the "Whittington carillon". Evans: A famous family of clockmakers active in London, England in the 18th and 19th centuries, first with James, then Thomas and finally his grandson James. Associated with the Higgs brothers, he made many clocks for the Spanish market that are signed Diego instead of James. One known example is a crank organ built in 1762 for King Carlos III, now in the Museu de la Música in Barcelona. James (Diego) Evans, clockmaker Britten (Old clocks and watches and their makers, 1955, 7th edition, The University Press, Glasgow, p. 376) states that James (Diego) Evans was active from 1770, when he became a member of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, until 1832. Evans settled at 7 Sweeting's Alley in London before moving to the Royal Exchange, and was the first in a long line of clockmakers. His son Thomas, who joined the Company in 1788, and grandson James, who joined in 1811, followed him in the trade. The work of all three is distinguished by its high technical quality. On products destined for the Spanish market, he "Spanishized" his signature to "Diego Evans, London" or "Diego Evans, Bolsa Real, Londres" (James Evans, Royal Exchange, London). A free-standing clock is kept at the Banco de España. Around 1780 or 1785, Evans formed a partnership with brothers Robert and Peter Higgs, specializing in clocks for export, particularly to the Spanish market, but the Evans name still appears independently after this date. He continued to trade at the Royal Exchange, home to London's finest clockmakers, until 1825.