The principal founder of the Wallace Collection, the 4th Marquess of Hertford, had a passion for clocks, collecting them in both Paris and London. Most were kept in his apartment in the rue Laffitte in Paris, but several, acquired in England, were part of the furnishings of Hertford House, notably the astronomical clock. Despite the elaborate movement of the latter, Lord Hertford, like the French 18th-century noblemen whose tastes he so often shared, bought his clocks for the artistry of their cases, whether in Boulle marquetry, gilt and patinated bronze, gilt bronze and marble, Sevres porcelain, lapis lazuli, tulipwood or ebony. Featuring all the clocks in the Wallace Collection, this guide offers, for each piece, a description of the case and movement and details of the work of the clockmakers, cabinetmakers, bronze founders and gilders. There are also full-page colour illustrations of each clock, accompanied by photographs and details of the movements of comparative clocks, and essays on the clock cases, movements and barometers that put the collection into its historical context.
