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Tall Case Clock, Case

Date1813-1819

Maker Riley Whiting (fl. 1807 - 1835)

OriginAmerica, Connecticut, Winchester

MediumTulip poplar, glass, iron, and paint

DimensionsOH: 83 5/8"; OW: 16 ¾"; OD: 10 ¼"

Credit LineGift of Juli Grainger

Object number2008.2000.1,A

DescriptionAppearance:
Rosewood grained tall case clock, with wooden movement and dial signed by Riley Whiting. Clock has a flattened broken scroll pediment, arched painted wooden dial with flowers in center of arch and corners, arched trunk door, straight "French" feet and shaped skirt.

Dial: Wooden 30-hour movement; white painted arched dial signed "R. Whiting / Winchester" across the center against gold background; arched section of dial painted with pink flowers in center, surrounded by a gilded oval border; top edge of arch accented with a matching gilded border; pink floral painted spandrels with gilded borders; Arabic hour and minute numerals; seconds dial below XII on face with Arabic numerals 10-60 by 10s painted around the outside with a tiny dotted border, center of seconds dial has painted blue curtains with red ties; white house on green grass with red roof painted above VI on face; false winding holes as center of gilded star motif flank house; replaced battons on back of clock face.

Construction:
On the hood, the top is nailed into rabbets formed by the top edge of the sides and a single piece cove miter-joined top molding that is glued and nailed to the sides and top rail and extends ½” above them. The side edges of the top are beveled to be flush with the top edge of the molding. There is a drilled hole in the center of the top, of undetermined function, that is plugged with a peg. The stiles are nailed to the sides. An arched top rail is inset and nailed into the stiles, with nailed mitered joints on the exposed edges of the inset. The bottom rail is lap joined and nailed to the stiles. The stiles are dadoed to hold the glass window. There is evidence of a glue block at the joining of the top and the proper left side.

On the trunk, the sides extend 2 5/8” into the hood to hold the hood in place. The stiles are glued and nailed to the front edge of the sides. The top and bottom rails are tenoned into the stiles. The single board trunk door has rabbets on the top, bottom and locking edge to overlap the top and bottom rails and proper right stile. The cove molding at the top of the trunk is glued and nailed to the side and stiles and flush with the top edges of the back and stiles. The one piece back is set inside and nailed to the trunk sides and base sides. The back does not extend above the top edge of the trunk.

The trunk sides and stiles extend 3 ½” into the base. To provide a tight fit, a ½”x 2 ½” side to side lath is fitted between the trunk stiles and base front, with similar lath between the trunk sides and base sides. At the top of the base, a cove waist molding is nailed to the trunk stiles and sides. The base sides are nailed into the back, and the base front is nailed into the extended trunk stiles. The base front is glued and nailed to the base sides and the bottom is set in dados in the sides and nailed from the underside to the edge of the back. The legs and the shaped aprons are integral with the sides and front of the base.
Label TextRosewood, a startling and expensive red and black striped tropical wood, was a fashionable but rare choice for high style European furniture of the early 19th century. Consequently, Americans frequently chose to imitate it in paint. This clock case illustrates a visually arresting rosewood faux-grained surface. Interestingly, the grained decoration runs horizontally. For structural reasons, much of the wood of the clock runs vertically.

Riley Whiting (w.1807-1835) was one of the early makers of wooden clock movements in America. These wooden movements were mass produced, making them less expensive than imported brass works and therefore more accessible to larger numbers of people.
InscribedR. Whiting / Winchester" painted on clock face.
ProvenancePurchased by donor from Frank & Barbara Pollack in 1991.