ZEGAR SZAFK, Poland, Cracow, Jan Gotfryd Krosz,

Royal watchmaker of Stanislaw August, 1780-1790
Wooden case, glazed, gilt bronze applications, height 54 cm, enameled dials. Mechanism with spring tension, pendulum regulator with compensating drum and Gallic chain, two bells, Parisian beating system, date (days of the month), repetition
Signed on the badge above the clock face: Krohz a: Cracau.
Provenance: bought in a Kraków antique shop in 1995.
A similar clock is in the collection of the National Museum in Lublin (Inv. No. S/Mt/409/ML)
Jan Gotfryd Krosz (ca. 1730 - 1813) active in Cracow from 1765 to 1795. He was of German descent, but became permanently attached to Poland, to Cracow; he even made the effort - so difficult for a foreigner - to learn the Polish language. For many years he served as an elder in the watchmaking guild, of which he was a true benefactor. His efforts led to the separation of the watchmakers' guild from the locksmiths' guild, which earned him the gratitude of his fellow members. A considerable number of his works have been preserved: table clocks, mantel clocks, wall clocks, carriage clocks, and their cases take various forms in accordance with the changes of styles and fashions. Some bear the signature "horloger du Roy" (royal clockmaker). This was not just an empty title, because - according to surviving documents - indeed Krosz also supplied clocks to the court of Stanislaw August.
Asking price 85000
Estimate 120000 - 140000 ask about the object