This watch was made in London and is probably the early work of James Cox dating from late in the reign of George II or early George III. It would have been an exceptionally expensive piece to make and buy and was quite possibly a special order for King Frederick V of Denmark (reigned 1746- 1766) who was noted as a keen supporter of foreign trade. This watch is exactly the kind of extravagant piece that is typical of Cox?s work. A contemporary considered that he had "acquired great knowledge of precious stones, etc. by mere force of uncommon natural genius". It was during the 1760s and early 1770s that Cox became famous for a very specific genre: elaborate and luxurious musical and automaton clocks and watches, made of precious metals and studded with precious stones, destined particularly for the Ottoman, Indian and Chinese empires. The existence of the present watch shows that these pieces were also made for some European patrons in what might be considered ?eastern? taste. The use of amethysts in the decoration of this watch is, to modern eyes, slightly incongruous in combination with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. However, it has to be remembered that in the 18th and early 19th centuries, amethysts were considered amongst the most precious and expensive of stones, only being regarded as semi-precious in the late 19th and early 20th centuries onwards.
Kingdom of Denmark: The Order of the Elephant
The Danish monarchy is one of the world?s oldest, boasting an unbroken line of 50 Kings and two Queens that stretches back over 1000 years. The direct line of the original dynasty ended in 1448 with the death of Christoffer III. Duke Christian of Oldenburg was elected to succeed him as King Christian I, since this time successive Kings have adopted the names Christian or Frederik on an alternating basis. It was King Christian I who founded the Order of the Elephant, an order of chivalry in around 1462. The statutes establishing it as it is today were laid down by King Christian V on December 1, 1693. The order is the highest order of Denmark and only awarded to members of the Danish Royal family, foreign heads of state and in exceptional circumstances very distinguished individuals. The order has one class ? Knight of the Elephant (Ridder af Elefantordenen), The Order of the Elephant's annual days of observance are January 1st, June 28th and on Her Majesty the Queen's birthday. A clock, also decorated with the symbol of the order is on display in Rosenborg Castle, Denmark, along with the earliest existing specimen of the insignia of the Order of the Elephant.
James Cox (circa 1723 - 1800).
Born in London around 1723, he was the son of Henry Cox, a tailor. He became Free in 1745, at which time he was described as a goldsmith. Cox also called himself a "jeweller". In December 1745, Cox married Elizabeth Liron. In June of that same year he had set up shop in Racquet Court, where he remained until 1756. An elaborate trade card has survived from this period; with a text in English, French, and German, it offers a "Great Variety of Curious Work in Gold, Silver, and other Metalls: also in Amber, Pearl, Tortoiseshell and Curious Stones". In 1756 Cox entered into a partnership with Edward Grace and moved to larger premises in Shoe Lane. However, Cox & Grace declared bankruptcy in November 1758. The list of Cox and Grace's stock, which was advertised for sale in 1760, was said to comprise "things in the jeweling and toy business suitable both for foreign and home trade". The Cox & Grace bankruptcy did not stop Cox from advancing; on the contrary, he retained the premises in Shoe Lane and continued working. In July 1763, his bankruptcy proceedings terminated with his discharge. It was during the 1760s and early 1770s that Cox became famous for a very specific genre: elaborate and luxurious musical and automaton clocks and watches, made of precious metals and studded with precious stones, destined particularly for the Ottoman, Indian and Chinese empires, and especially for the court of the Chinese Emperor himself. The first record of such activity on Cox's part is a "notice of two curious Clocks" which appeared in the Gentleman?s Magazine of December 1766. During this period, and until 1773, Cox's chief "mechanic" was a brillant Belgian, John Joseph Merlin (1735-1803). Merlin is generally considered to have been Cox?s "right-hand man", and any pieces signed by Cox which can be securely dated to before 1773, may have been designed or even made by Merlin. Later, many clock, watch,and singing bird movements were made for Cox by the Jaquet Droz firm. Cox earned great renown through the Museum he maintained in London's Spring Gardens from 1772 to 1775. It was a lavish venue draped with crimson curtains, whose ceilings were decorated with "chiaroscuro paintings of the liberal arts", by a "celebrated artist" of the day, probably Angelica Kauffmann. In 1769, Cox purchased the Chelsea Porcelain Works, intending perhaps to further diversify his trade it has been suggested that he planned to collaborate with Matthew Boulton in the making of ormulu-mounted porcelain vases. However, for reasons that remain unknown but may have to do with Cox' s persistently precarious financial situation, the porcelain works were sold again only five months later. Both profits and demand continued to decline, and Cox soon found himself in difficult financial straits, with insufficent cash at hand, and a large stock in which he had invested hugely. To remedy this situation, Cox held two sales of items from his stock at Christie's, in July and December 1772. In addition, early that same year he had opened his mechanical museum in the Great Room at Spring Gardens. For the three years of its existence, "Cox?s Museum" - with its astonishingly high entrance fee of half a guinea - was the talk of London. James Boswell, who went to see it in April 1774 at the insistance of Dr Johnson, found it "a very fine exhibition" for "power of mechanism and splendour of show", while Fanny Burney, considered it impressive but somewhat heartless.