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Miniature Tall Case Clock

Date1790-1810

Maker Christopher Weaver

OriginAmerica, Delaware, New Castle County or Odessa County

MediumMahogany, lightwood stringing, tulip poplar, yellow pine, glass, silver, brass, and steel

DimensionsOH: 33"; OW: 7 3/4"; OD: 5”

Credit LineBequest of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Hennage

Object number2020-160,A-D

DescriptionMiniature tall case clock: hood with a cornice molding with lightwood string along the bottom edge on front and sides with broken scroll pediment extending up in the front and terminating in volutes; expansive plain tympanum over arched glazed door with brass knob flanked by uncarved columns at front and rear; arched glazed windows on sides of hood; broad cove molding over trunk with wide lightwood banding around top of trunk; rectangular trunk door with incurving top corners and thumbnail molded edge; ogee waist molding over base with inlaid wide lightwood band rectangle with incurved corners; base molding over ogee bracket feet;

Dial:
One piece, silvered, engraved 4” W x 5.4” H x 0.047” thick brass dial with Roman numeral hours, Arabic minutes. Arabic dates in calendar aperture below center. Floral engraved center of dial with seconds dial above hands and single winding hole and date aperture centered below hands. Floral engraved spandrels in dial corners. Painted moon dial with Arabic lunar date numerals with engraved hemisphere and engraved sun in place of typical hemisphere in front. Inscribed "CHRISTOPHER WEAVER FACIT" in arch around moon dial.

Movement description:
Thirty-hour brass time, calendar, and moon phase weight-driven movement measuring 2.8” H x 1.7” W. Plate thickness is 0.079”. Clearance between front and back plates is 0.97”. Clock has an anchor-recoil escapement.

Four brass pillars are riveted into the back plate and pinned at the front plate. The movement is fastened to the seat board by steel screws threaded into the bottom pillars. The mainwheel barrel is not grooved for weight cord management. All time train wheels have four-arm crossings. The motion work is solid. The round steel crutch-rod has an open-end fork. The pendulum bridge is fastened to the back plate with two screw and two locator pins at the lower corners.

The weight pulley is cast brass with both steel and brass riveted stirrups. The overall length of the pendulum is 15 3/4”. The pendulum rod is steel. The bob is cast iron with a polished brass face. It is 1.7” diameter and .402” thick. Pendulum length is adjusted via an octagonal brass nut. The rectangular weight has rounded corners and a recessed section at the top with a metal hook. It weighs 3.8 lbs.

Woods: mahogany primary; tulip poplar backboard; yellow pine seat board.
Label TextMiniature tall clocks are extraordinarily rare. Delaware clockmaker Christopher Weaver, who signed the dial of this fully functional movement, engraved it with the same floral design he used on a full-sized clock (now at the Yale University Art Gallery) that he made a decade earlier while working in Maryland.
Markings"CHRISTOPHER WEAVER FACIT" engraved in the arch of the dial.

Paper label pasted to back of case at top "CLEANED & REPAIRED/ 1 Year Guarantee/ Date 5-19-61/ By F. H. Cooley/ HJALMAR J. OLSEN CO., INC/ 26 TEMPLETON PARKWAY/ WATERTOWN 72, MASS/ WA 4-3263"

Round, pink sticker "Sotheby's/ 431/ New York" adhered to the backboard near the base.

Jelly label adhered to the underside of the bottom board.

Various round stickers adhered inside trunk door. white dot sticker marked "185"; pink marked "VAB/SMB"; yellow marked "R"; white marked "B31".

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