Gabriel Van den Bruel

The signature “Van den Bruel à Lille” is that of Gabriel Van den Bruel, a well-known Lille watchmaker mentioned in Tardy, Dictionnaire des horlogers français, Paris, 1971, p. 630. One clock bearing his signature, in red vernis Martin decorated with flowers, was formerly in the collection of Colonel Dumont in Aire; it was shown to the public at the 1896 Retrospective Exhibition of the Commission des Monuments historiques of the Pas-de-Calais (see Mémoires de la Commission départementale des Monuments historiques du Pas-de-Calais, Arras, 1899, p. 56).