This intriguing and very rare Chinese fire clock, crafted in elongated river boat form and decorated with classic gilt pavilion and landscape designs on a black lacquer ground, dates to the18th century. This earlier type of incense time-keeper was carved in the form of a river vessel but did not include the more traditional dragon figurehead and tail, from which the name “dragon boat clock” was derived. Instead, the prow and stern are simply snail-shaped. The gold “lacque-de-chine” decoration is quite rich.
The inside originally held a pewter liner, pierced at intervals with nine openings along its length, into which were inserted U-shaped wires which held a long incense stick with graduated hours. The incense sticks were laid lengthwise in the wires above the pewter tray inside the body of the vessel. Across this, a string or strings carrying small metal balls would be stretched at various intervals. As the incense stick burned down, it burned the string, causing the balls to fall noisily into a plate set below the time-keeper.
This type of clock was developed in the Ming era (or earlier) and lasted through the 19th century. Dragon boat incense clocks are classified as rarities as few have survived, and collectors can take comfort in the fact that no copies of them are being made. This is a museum piece. For a history of these ingenious timepieces, see “The Trail of Time” by Silvio Bedini. A similar example is illustrated in Figure 19 in this book.
CONDITION of the lacquer is very good, considering its age and usage. The pewter liner is missing; the wires are replacements.
DIMENSIONS: 21¼” (54 cm) long, 2½” (6.4 cm) wide, 1 3/8” (3.5 cm) high.
