Bronze plated immortal ape offering longevity unicorn pack bell

[Copper Plated Immortal Ape Presents Life with Kylin Bell]

Copper Plated Immortal Ape Presents Life with Kylin Bell, Guangzhou, Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, 100 centimeters high, 40 centimeters wide, and 41 centimeters thick
The entire clock is copper plated and consists of three layers: upper, middle, and lower. On the upper floor stands a auspicious animal, the Kirin. The Kirin carries a three needle clock, and the circumference of the clock is decorated with a flame pattern inlaid with red stone. An umbrella cover is supported above the clock dial, and the umbrella is dotted with red stone flowers with green stones as flower centers. The umbrella is hung with red stone decorations. The front of the middle floor resembles a stage, with curtains hanging above the platform opening and on both sides. There is an arch with a rolling curtain hanging on the platform. On both sides of the arch, there kneels a handful of peach red faced immortal apes. Inside the arch, there stands an ape holding an immortal peach in his hand. The four corners of the middle layer each have dragon spray water columns. Music box and mechanical control device are placed in the bottom layer. In the center of the front, there is a circular light inlaid with red stones. The four corners of the light are arranged with bats. The bat’s eyes, body, and wings are composed of green, yellow, and red stones, respectively. Inside the opening is a large stone flower that can both rotate and move back and forth. The flower is centered on red stone and is inlaid with red, yellow, white, and green colored stones. On the left and right sides of Kaiguang are hollow copper plates carved with streams, small bridges, trees, etc., with water method columns installed behind the copper plates
After the bell is strung from the string hole, with the accompaniment of music, the umbrella cover rotates, and the unicorn shakes its head from side to side. The rolling curtain in the middle layer rises, and the fairy ape steps out of the arch, leans forward and kneels down, stretching his hands forward to break the fairy peach, while the little ape also moves his arms up and down to make a peach offering. The four corners of the water column from the dragon mouth rotate like a dragon spraying water. The front of the bottom floor rotates from back to front and stops at a predetermined position. After completing the action, the ape slowly straightened up and retreated to the arch, the roller shutter was lowered, the rotating flower was inverted and returned to its original position, the umbrella cap stopped rotating, and the joy stopped. All the moving devices remained stationary
The uniqueness of this clock lies in its ability to rotate and move the flowers back and forth at the bottom, which is unique among the clocks and watches hidden in the Forbidden City.

铜镀金水法转花带白猿献寿时乐钟(局部3)铜镀金水法转花带白猿献寿时乐钟(局部1)