Enjoy unlimited access: just £1 for 12 weeks

Subscribe now

Featuring astronomical and astrological designs, usually associated with table clocks of the 17th century, the clock was housed in a mahogany case bearing a label for Moorcroft – a cabinet maker associated with Chippendale – and dated 1787.
Although the timepiece of the clock was in working order, the astrological parts appeared to have been altered with many of the cogs in a separate package. Consigned from a local country residence, it sold to a clock dealer at £50,000 (plus 11.75 per cent buyer’s premium).