A SECOND EMPIRE ORMOLU MOUNTED ‘MILLERS VEIN’ BLUE JOHN CLOCK

Period	Empire
Origin	France
Medium	Blue John
Dimensions	57 x 28.5 x 24 cm (22¹/₂ x 11¹/₄ x 9¹/₂ inches)
Gallery	Ronald Phillips Ltd

Description
Technical

Blue john ores are restricted in size, and huge pieces like the ones used for this clock are very rare.

Blue john was admired by the Romans, and is still mined in Derbyshire, the only place in the world where it occurs. Today a lot of the stone has been used up, and mining is restricted to a very few locations. This makes blue john a very precious and rare material.

Period: Empire
Origin: France
Medium: Blue John
Dimensions: 57 x 28.5 x 24 cm (22¹/₂ x 11¹/₄ x 9¹/₂ inches)
Provenance: Private collection, New York, USA.

Literature: Trevor D. Ford, ‘Derbyshire Blue John’, 2005, pp. 34, 66 & 67; two similar clocks illustrated.