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Tall Case Clock

DateCa. 1700

Maker Thomas Planner

OriginEngland, London

MediumWalnut veneer, oak, glass, brass, ormolu

DimensionsCase: OH: 96"; OW: 20 1/2: oD: 10 3/4" Pendulum: OL: 43 1/4"; diam: 4.8" Weight 1: OH: 8"; diam: 2 1/2" weight 2: OH: 8 1/4"; diam: 2 1/4"

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

Object number1990-290,A-E

DescriptionAppearance:
Tall case clock with sarcophagus pediment flanked by two gilded urn and flame finials over molded cornice and rectangular panels of blind fretwork; square glazed hood door flanked by connected columns with brass capitals and bases over a molded and coved mid-molding; sides of hood have rectangular glazed lunettes; rectangular trunk door with round molded edges and round glazed lunette near center with brass surround; ogee molding over rectangular base on tiered base boards with molded tops. Entire clock case veneered with marquetry scrolled "sea-weed" pattern.

Dial:
One piece, brass, 12” W x 12” H x .082” thick dial. Applied cast spandrels in corners of dial. Silvered chapter ring has Roman hours on the inside and Arabic minutes in 5 minute intervals on the outside with marks indicating all 60 minutes between the hour and minute numbers. Silvered Arabic seconds dial above center. Silvered Arabic calendar in aperture below center. Strike/No Strike lever located at top center of dial directly above chapter ring. Dial signed “Tho Planner London” in cursive spanning the VI.

Movement description:
Eight-day brass time, strike, and calendar weight-driven movement measuring 7 9/16” H x 5.1” W. Plate thickness is 0.112” and clearance between front and back plates is 2.4”. Clock has an anchor-recoil escapement regulated by a seconds beat pendulum. A rack-and-snail strike mounted inside the back plate sounds the hours on a 5.5” diameter cast iron bell. The strike hammer head is pyramidal in shape with a centered hole for cork at the point of striking.

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 brass time and strike barrels are grooved for the weight cords. All time and strike train wheels and motion work have four-arm crossings. The round steel crutch-rod has an open-end fork with the outer edge chamfered. The pendulum bridge base is a keystone shape with unusual decorations of a wavy lower central edge and decorative notches on both upper corners. It is fastened to the back plate with two screws and two locator pins. The bell stand is screwed to the inside of the front plate.

The weight pulleys are cast brass with riveted stirrups. The overall length of the pendulum is 43 1/4”. The pendulum rod is rectangular brass 0.45” wide and .050” thick. The bob is cast iron with a highly polished brass face. It is 4.8” diameter. The weights are cylindrical cast iron. The time weight is 2 1/2” diameter and 8” long. The strike weight is 2 2/8” diameter and 8 ¼” long.
Label TextThe case of this clock is veneered with a small-scale foliate marquetry known by some in the period as filigree. Influenced by Italian design, this English version of foliate scrollwork created by using veneers of different colored wood was popular at the end of the 17th century. While the flat surfaces have this filigree motif, the curved moldings are veneered in walnut.

The square brass dial, the stepped or “sarcophagus” shaped hood, and the filigree marquetry of this clock case were the height of fashion in London around 1700. While the popularity of the delicate marquetry waned by the 1720s, the overall case form remained stylish for the next twenty to thirty years.
InscribedLabel on seat board “873D/ H DART Watch & Clockmaker, Jeweler,/ and Optician/ 100, Park Street/ CAMDEN TOWN./ All repairs done on the premises”
MarkingsDial signed by Thomas Planner, a member of the Clockmakers Company from 1694-1730.
ProvenanceArthur S. Vernay, Inc. until 1963

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