Rare clock by Archibald Knox sells for more than seven times its estimate at auction

A rare clock by one of the UK’s most respected designers has sold for £36,000 at auction – more than seven times its estimate.

The Cymric silver mantel clock, made by Archibald Knox, is of a previously unrecorded design, and one of the finest examples of its kind to come to auction. 

The price achieved at McTear’s auction represents one of the highest ever for a Knox timepiece.

Knox is recognised as one of the UK’s most important designers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with examples of his work featuring in some of the world’s most prestigious collections and museums, including the Met in New York. 

The piece, which resided in an Edinburgh property before the family decided to consign it to auction, was produced for Liberty & Co. in 1901. 

The clock has a two train eight day movement by A.D. Mougin, with the enamel dial featuring the motto TIME ENOUGH. 

‘This is a beautiful piece from a period when Archibald Knox was at the height of his powers,’ auction specialist, Stewart Atkinson, said.

‘It is extremely rare to find a Cymric clock of this quality at auction, a fact that was quite clear when the bidding started.  

‘It was a fabulous sale which ended with some very happy faces when the hammer eventually came down in favour of a telephone bidder from South East England.’

Knox was a Manx designer who profoundly influenced modern British design. His work spans silver, pewter, ceramics, jewellery, and textiles.

Known for blending Celtic motifs with Art Nouveau and modernism, he was Liberty’s primary designer between 1897-1912, helping the department store become a leading design institution. 

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