A rare and unusual English tortoiseshell portico clock which has an eight-day duration, chain-fusee timepiece movement, with anchor escapement, and is signed on the backplate in engraved scroll Viner & Co, London, with the serial number 956 stamped on the frontplate, and has a gilded sunburst bob to the pendulum.

The gilded dial has engine-turned engraved decoration to the centre, painted black Roman hour numerals and is signed on the chapter ring at XII o'clock Viner & Co, London. It has a well-executed decorative gilded inner bezel and blued steel moon hands.

The red tortoiseshell case has inlaid brass decoration to the front & sides with ormolu mounts and feet, the floor of the base is inlaid with triangular patterns of mother-of pearl and tortoiseshell and the four tapered pillars are topped by ormolu Corinthian capitals.

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Charles Edward Viner was born in 1788, apprenticed to Thomas Savage in 1802, free of the Clockmakers' Company in 1813, and was a Liveryman from 1819. He was at 1 Royal Exchange, London from 1776 until 1820 and also had a retail outlet at 151 New Bond St. at this time, the firm then traded at 19 Sackville St. from 1840 - 1859. He died in 1875.

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Height: 15½ inches.