James Cox Of London

Place: London

Death: 1800

Biography:

James Cox was a British jeweller, goldsmith and entrepreneur, and the proprietor of Cox's Museum. He is now best known for creating ingenious automata and mechanical clocks, including Cox's timepiece, powered by atmospheric pressure, the Peacock Clock and the Silver Swan. A typical 'toy': a necessaire and watch by Cox ( Walters Art Museum ). Cox's career as a jeweler began as early as 1751, and his automatons were designed by artists like Joseph Nollekens and Johann Zoffany. In the 1760s John Joseph Merlin became his apprentice. Cox specialized in intricate clockwork curios encrusted with gold, silver, and jewels, referred to as 'sing-songs.' His primary market was the Far East, especially India and China, and the Chinese Qianlong Emperor possessed one of his automata, in the shape of a chariot. Cox's popularity was important to British trade: the tea trade ensured that British imports far outweighed their exports to China, and Cox helped redress the imbalance. His sing-songs initially reduced British trade deficit, but in the early 1770s Cox was stuck with a large inventory and a flooded eastern market. He liquidated some of his stock at Christie's in 1772, and used the remaining inventory to start his museum. Cox's Museum opened in the 1770s and was a popular attraction in London, featuring a collection of mechanical devices, automata, and other curiosities. Cox's Museum was closed in 1845.