Lot 253

William Anthony

An exquisite London gold enamel quarter repeating pocket watch

Sold

The exquisite cobalt blue enamel medallion on the back is ornamented with a delicately painted, brightly coloured Paillonnés rosette. The radiant blue enamel is intensified by the guilloche patterned ground.

William Anthony (1765-1844) had his workshop in Red Lion Street, St. John's Square in Clerkenwell, where he produced high-quality ornamental watches for the Chinese market. He created distinctive pieces with oval dials and expanding hands that adjusted automatically to the changing radius of the oval dial. Anthony was a successful businessman and played an important role in the foundation of the Watch- and Clockmakers' Benevolent Association in 1815; after a failed lawsuit and an unsuccessful attempt at an exhibition, however, he suffered some heavy losses. William Anthony died a poor man in 1844 because he had forgotten to collect the rents from the tenants in his properties for years.