These mechanical objects were received with great curiosity by the Chinese court and must have made Cox substantial profits. A number of exotic, valuable pieces were exported there from 1763. The Chinese Emperor Qianlong (1735-1795) collected both Western and Chinese clocks and two of James Cox’s chariot clocks dating from 17 can still be seen in The Palace Museum in the Forbidden City, Beijing.Īlthough Cox had an early Indian connection most of his business was with China via Canton. That a British clock like this should appeal to a connoisseur of Chinese porcelain should not be a cause of surprise. A late 18th century automaton clock by James Cox Indeed they have been referred to as ‘magical moving objects’. His clocks are still a source of wonder and were never intended to be practical. The automaton on this clock sees figures and animals process from left to right. A late example of James Cox’s work, the clock dates from the late 18th century and has a complicated three train movement with automaton, playing ten tunes on fourteen bells. It was the only clock in the collection which was predominately focused on Chinese porcelain. Tom explains that this James Cox automaton clock was part of the estate of a London collector. Cox employed craftsmen from across Europe to create these extraordinary pieces. The clocks were hugely expensive and were sold across Europe and as far afield as India, China and Russia.

He became famous for his extravagant clocks with their ingenious automata which made objects move, seemingly of their own volition. The processional clockwork automaton where figures and animals move ‘magically’ across the landscapeĪ rare late 18th century tortoiseshell and gilt-metal bracket clock with a processional automaton by the celebrated British entrepreneur and goldsmith James Cox (1723-1800) has been discovered by Toovey’s specialist, Tom Rowsell, in a London collection.įrom the mid-18th century James Cox ran a company specialising in the manufacture of objects de vertu which were intended to delight and surprise his clients.

Chinese clockwork automaton