Tall case clock

Date1760-1800

Artist/Maker John Fisher

OriginAmerica, Pennsylvania, York County, York

MediumPrimary wood: walnut. Secondary: white pine backboard, seat block and block rest. Brass and steel works and pendulum; brass dial with pewter spandrels.

DimensionsOH: 90 1/2"; OW (cornice): 22 1/2"; OW (base): 19 1/2"; OD (cornice): 11 3/4"; OD (base): 11"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1971-28,A&B

DescriptionA: Case; B: Movement; C: pendulum
Case: removable hood with flat top above broad, molded cove cornice, banded at base with fillet molding; front dovetailed to sides with large, finely-finished exposed dovetails; molding below, arched at front above rectangular, glazed door with arched, top opening on original hinges; straight sides with rectangular, glazed panels. Hood flanked at front with free-standing, slightly swelled plain doric columns; half columns of similar design at rear of hood; hood slides onto trunk from front; trunk with broad, cove cornice at top above plain, rectangular trunk with straight sides; rectangular door at front with arched top and molded edge; door hangs on original steel rat-tail hinges, with central oval glass; original, pierced, rococo escutcheon at center left; below trunk, broad, cove molding forms transition to plain, rec base; applied base molding with straight, bracket feet (not original).

Dial:
One piece 10 ¾” W x 14 11/16”H x 0.050” thick arched brass dial. Applied rococo pewter spandrels at four corners of plate and flanking central name boss on arch; circular name boss fastened via central screw with engraved darts on outer border and inscribed name "John Fisher" in script at center; circular, brass (silvering lost) chapter ring attached with four screws to dial; Roman hours and Arabic minutes numerals filed in with black; center of dial engraved with rococo cartouche above which is semi-circular applied plate with script "York Town"; square calendar aperture in lower portion of dial with rotating disc behind, on which are Arabic numbers from 1-31; blue steeled hour and minute hands at center.

Movement description:
Thirty hour brass time, strike, and calendar weight-driven movement measuring 4.4” H x 4.95” W. Plate thickness is 0.121” and clearance between front and back plates is 2.2”. The time and strike trains are opposite normal, strike on the proper left and time on the proper right. Clock has an anchor-recoil escapement regulated by a seconds beat pendulum. A rack-and-snail strike sounds the hours on a 4.3” diameter cast bell.
Three square steel pillars (two at top of movement, one centered at bottom of movement) are riveted into the back plate and pinned at the front plate. They protrude as cylinders past the front plate to fasten the dial. The movement sites into slots in the seat board and is fastened to the seat board by one steel hook that hooks over the bottom movement pillar and is fastened under the seat board by a saw toothed nut. An endless chain with a single weight powers the movement. All time and strike train wheels have four-arm crossings. The conventional motion work has four-arm crossings. The round steel crutch-rod has an open-end fork. The pendulum bridge base is steel. It is fastened to the back plate with two vertically aligned screws. The bell stand is straight and is screwed to the outside of the back plate.

The overall length of the pendulum is 40 3/4”. The pendulum rod is steel with a hook (no suspension spring) on the top. The bob is cast with a polished brass face. It is 4” diameter and 0.6” thick at its center. The pendulum nut to adjust pendulum length is missing. There are three weights. One is cast, cylindrical shape, 8” long, 1 ¾” diameter, with a cast in top loop and weighs 7 lbs. The other two weights are small truncated pyramids. Each one is 1 5/8” high, with a ¾” square top and 1 3/16” square base.
Markings"John Fisher" in script on boss at top of dial; "York Town" on plate on dial; illegible repair inscriptions on back of dial and on seat block; "13156/67" in chalk on back of case; "13156/27" in chalk on top of hood.
ProvenanceAccording to information supplied by owner, clock descended in Cabell and Ritchie families of Virginia. This knowledge goes back only to late 19th century.