Up for sale is a rare William Thornhill & Co. of London 8 day clock from the mid to late 19th century. The case is expertly hand carved out of a stunning solid piece of oak in the form of a Chinese warrior. The movement is of French origin and an 8 day wind dating 1850's. Marked "VAP" (Velonge a Paris) indicates the craftsman was living in Paris in in the mid 1800's, trade mark 'Brevette" used by French makers such as Japy. The movement has been properly maintained, serviced and because of that, is in 100% working condition keeping time flawlessly over the course of 8 days on a single full wind. All pieces are original with nothing replaced, I just had this clock's movement fully dismantled, cleaned and oiled by one of the best clock makers in the South East United States.

The blue willow style dial was made specifically for this clock and was not made from a plate or bowl. The dial is in good condition with minor stress cracks with mild staining where the screws are inserted caused from being over tightened at some point and a crack that runs along the bottom horizontally across the face. The dial is fully intact as the crack does not run through.

The wood carved case is just visually stunning as you can see from the photos which accurately depicts its unique beauty. The height of the entire clock is approximately 14 inches tall, base measures 9 x 4 inches and the diameter of the blue willow dial is 7 inches.

On the front of the base is a silver etched plaque that read, "Xmas 1880" not only dating it, but indicating the fact it was given as a Christmas gift by a wealthy individual. On the reverse of the base is a brass tag that reads "W. Thornhill & Co. 144 New Bond St.". Under the face of the dial in the warriors robes is carved "Heathen Chinee" which may be some type of commemorative to the poem by Bret Harte.

Their are two repairs to the wood case one to the warrior's right hand which has been re-attached (old repair) as seen in the 10th photo provided and a piece of his right mustache which appears to be an old repair. The case and movement are both in overall just stunning condition! This is an incredible opportunity to own such a rare clock from the scarcely seen maker William Thornhill & Co. of London.

William Thornill & Co. became famous for the cutlery during the 18th century as they supplied the royal family with their dining wear. Their clocks are rarely seen as their held in private collections and in the ownerships of museums. Two Thornhill & Co's clocks have been referenced to residing in the ownership of the royal family in Windsor Castle!

This clock has been held in a private collection for the last 60 years and this is its first time available to the market. To my knowledge this has never been seen or published in any catalogue or reference material to date. No other similar clock has been known to be manufactured by William Thornhill & Co. and their is not a single clock that even closely resembles the craftsmanship and beauty of this rare English clock.