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Lot 155W
An exceptional last quarter of the 18th century mahogany crossbanded oak thirty hour clock James Newman, Lewes
12 December 2012, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond StreetSold for £3,750 inc. premium
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An exceptional last quarter of the 18th century mahogany crossbanded oak thirty hour clock
James Newman, Lewes
The hood with overhanging cornice and three-quarter gilt mounted Doric columns over a long arched trunk door on a crossbanded base, the 11 inch arched silvered dial boldly signed in the arch over engraved floral sprigs to each corner, the minute track marked in lines and lozenges enclosing the sunken subsidiary dials for Roman hours and Arabic seconds, each of the blued steel hands with heart-shaped tips (the seconds and hours both counter-balanced), the posted frame weight driven movement with four-wheel train to the anchor escapement, now with a wooden rod pendulum with cylindrical brass-faced bob, with outside countwheel strike on a bell 2.05m (6ft 8.5ins) high.
The hood with overhanging cornice and three-quarter gilt mounted Doric columns over a long arched trunk door on a crossbanded base, the 11 inch arched silvered dial boldly signed in the arch over engraved floral sprigs to each corner, the minute track marked in lines and lozenges enclosing the sunken subsidiary dials for Roman hours and Arabic seconds, each of the blued steel hands with heart-shaped tips (the seconds and hours both counter-balanced), the posted frame weight driven movement with four-wheel train to the anchor escapement, now with a wooden rod pendulum with cylindrical brass-faced bob, with outside countwheel strike on a bell 2.05m (6ft 8.5ins) high.
Footnotes
Literature: Darken and Hooper, English 30-hour clocks, Penita Books, 1997, p 228.
The use of a regulator dial on a provincial thirty hour clock is extremely rare to find. Also of note is the motion work which runs behind the dial vertically downwards from the centre to enable the hours to be shown. The drive pulleys are also highly unusual, neither have locating spikes for the chain, but both are so finely sized that they fit the chain precisely, instead of crude clickwork, there is a ratchet and pawl arrangement which gives an intensely smooth winding action.
Although the escapement is an anchor rather than deadbeat, the vendor reports that this clock, such is the quality of its construction, can keep time to within a second a day.
It may be relevant that Lewes at the time was home to another highly regarded clockmaker, Richard Comber. Newman is not listed in Baillie or Loomes and no other clock by him is known. It is possible that Newman was in fact the original owner, perhaps an amateur scientist or astronomer?