VERISSIMO ALVES PEREIRA, PORTUGAL. A RARE MID 19TH CENTURY WORLD TIME ANTIQUE ROSEWOOD PEDESTAL LIBRARY CLOCK the moulded rectangular base with applied oval panels and hinged locking door supporting a tall elongated drum with a large world map dated 1868; above the drum is a revolving silvered and engraved disc with 24 applied Roman numerals, 12 gilded and 12 bronze to depict night and day, kneeling atop of the clock is the Greek Titan God of Time Chronos who with his pointing finger indicates the local time. Enclosed inside the drum is a twin weight driven eight-day movement with pinwheel escapement striking the hours on a bell, time adjustment rods linked to the movement are located within the base having a faceted boxwood knob handles - Pereira was a talented engineer and clockmaker who built numerous public clocks in Lisbon and environs including devices for sounding the noonday gun in the port of Oporto. He was the managing director of a precision instrument maker and one of the leading lights in the Association of Manufacturers of Industry. He also patented, made and supplied water meters to Lisbon council for use in their new water supply network. There are two other versions of this clock in the Museu Da Fundacao Portuguesa das Comunicacoes in Lisbon and they are numbered 2 & 3 making this the only one in private hands. The clock is unnumbered, leading to the conclusion that this was most likely the first one made, with subsequent copies commissioned after having being seen by other wealthy patrons

228cm high