This splendid gold clock incorporating a necessaire is finished with agate and precious stones. It was created by the celebrated London craftsman James Cox in 1772. Similar works by English craftsmen of the 1770s were not uncommon in Russia and could be found in the private collections of St Petersburg. At the top the clock is decorated with bouquets and insects attached by means of a hinged joint which increased the play of light and the reflective power of the minerals. The works of James Cox became especially popular after Grigory Potemkin purchased his large Peacock Clock and presented it to Catherine II who put it on display in the Hermitage. Works by Cox similar to this one can also be found in several museum collections in Europe and America.
The clock was kept in the Winter Palace from the 18th century and in the Gallery of Jewellery from the mid-19th.