William Creak, Royal Exchange London, an automaton bracket clock: the eight-day duration, five-pillar, double-fusee movement having a verge escapement and striking the hours on a bell, with pull-repeat of the last hour at will, with a fully engraved backplate of floral and c-scroll decoration and engraved with the maker's name Wm. Creak, Royal Exchange, London, the brass break-arch dial having a raised silvered chapter ring engraved with black Roman numerals and Arabic outer five-minute markings, with the matted dial centre having a date aperture and inset silvered plaque engraved with a repeat of the maker's signature, with blued steel hands, the arch having a well-painted depiction of a couple in period dress playing badminton within a garden setting with the two racquets moving in sequence as the shuttlecock moves between the two as the clock ticks, the inverted bell-top ebonised case having curved canted corners, coloured glass to the two apertures above the arch of the dial, further decorative glass apertures to the sides, a brass carrying handle to the top and standing on ebonised pad feet, height 47.5cms, handle down, 51.5cms, handle up.* Biography William Creak was a well-regarded maker working in London from circa 1740 until at least 1775, being at the Royal Exchange from 1754. He made a number of fine musical and automata clocks for the Eastern Export market. There are examples of his clocks and watches in various museums including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum, South Kensington and the Amsterdam Museum.