A rare giant Gorge carriage clock by Holingue Freres, makers and partners to Alfred Drocourt.

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The eight-day duration movement strikes the hours and half-hours on a bell with repeat at will via the button to the top, the frontplate stamped H.L. for the maker Holingue Freres of the clockmaking town of Saint-Nicolas-d'Aliermont, along with their roulant blanc number 10631, with the backplate stamped with the clock serial number 4112 and the underside of the case stamped with an additional number 28181. These serial numbers correspond to those seen on a near-identical giant Gorge clock made in the same period which is also stamped for Holingue but with the additional trademark for Alfred Drocourt, being clock number 5123 with blanc number 11861 and additional case number 31496. All of which shows how these two fine makers worked in conjunction with each other prior to Alfred Drocourt buying the workshops and stock-in-trade of Holingue in 1874 and continuing the manufacture of carriage clocks in the town.

The lasrge silvered platform lever escapement is stamped to the underside with the initilas F.P. and platform serial number, being a platform maker used at this time by Holingue and Drocourt.

The white enamel dial has fine black Roman numerals, typical of Drocourt clocks of the period, and blued steel moon hands with a finely engraved gilded brass mask.

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Height: 9½ inches (24cms) handle up: 8¼ inches (21cms) handle down.

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The relationship between the makers Holingue and Drocourt is available to read through my research articles via the Exhibition Catalogues link above.

In summary, the Holingue family supplied many of the top carriage clock makers with blancs roulants the rough movements to be finished in the Paris workshops and also complete clocks. They supplied Pierre and Afred Drocourt from their founding in 1854 and the close relationship was evident when Alfred Drocourt took on the Holingue workshops in 1874. There are many examples of near-identical clocks signed for both Holingue and Drocourt, or without a Drocourt mark, or indeed for Drocourt withut a Holingue mark, all obviously from the same workshop.

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