Lot 245

John Fladgate

A London pair-cased quarter repeating pocket watch with early cylinder escapement

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The outer caseback has an openwork edge and is decorated with flower tendrils, acanthus, fruit and a basket filled with flowers. The inner case is similarly ornamented with an openwork edge with acanthus and mythical birds and an intricately engraved bouquet of summer flowers on the back. Pendant and lower edge both feature a cartouche with an engraved rural building and a grotesque face.

John Fladgate was an English clockmaker probably born around 1720. He finished his apprenticeship in 1743 and became a member of the Clockmakers‘ Company. His workshop was in Conduit Street;Richard Willder was a partner in the business until 1785. Fladgate himself died in 1781 but his widow continued the business until 1793. A wall clock and a pocketwatch by Fladgate are part of the British Museum collection.