James Stratton
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Lot 3
A rare late 17th century West Country lantern clock Attributed to Thomas Veale, Chew Magna
16 December 2015, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond StreetSold for £8,750 inc. premium
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Clocks (UK)
A rare late 17th century West Country lantern clock
Attributed to Thomas Veale, Chew Magna
The strapped bell with cast foliate corner pieces over four tall urn finials on squared corners integrally cast with a Doric-style column to a matching squared base on ringed ball feet, the top plate mounted with three Lion and Unicorn frets (the centre one with engraved detailing) and an off-set iron hoop, the rear column bases set with a pair of spikes, the old side doors made from recycled 19th century brass clock dials, and with brass rear plate, the Roman chapter ring framed by foliate engraved quadrants and with a single line border enclosing the Roman numerals and triple-ball half-hour markers to an inner quarter-hour track, the centre decorated with a winged mask below XII over a symmetrical pattern of foliate and other scrolls issuing from a bud above VI, the central portion displaying practise engraving of a bud, a mask, a flowerhead and the initials of the maker T*V*, with single brass hand, the weight driven movement with verge escapement with short bob pendulum on a knife edge with screwed on protective cap, and with countwheel strike on the bell above 39cms (15.5ins) high.
The strapped bell with cast foliate corner pieces over four tall urn finials on squared corners integrally cast with a Doric-style column to a matching squared base on ringed ball feet, the top plate mounted with three Lion and Unicorn frets (the centre one with engraved detailing) and an off-set iron hoop, the rear column bases set with a pair of spikes, the old side doors made from recycled 19th century brass clock dials, and with brass rear plate, the Roman chapter ring framed by foliate engraved quadrants and with a single line border enclosing the Roman numerals and triple-ball half-hour markers to an inner quarter-hour track, the centre decorated with a winged mask below XII over a symmetrical pattern of foliate and other scrolls issuing from a bud above VI, the central portion displaying practise engraving of a bud, a mask, a flowerhead and the initials of the maker T*V*, with single brass hand, the weight driven movement with verge escapement with short bob pendulum on a knife edge with screwed on protective cap, and with countwheel strike on the bell above 39cms (15.5ins) high.
Footnotes
Literature:
White, English Lantern Clocks, Woodbridge 1989 page 231, Figure V/36.
This is one of only six lantern clocks by Veale known to have survived and is almost certainly the earliest in the group. The others by him are recorded in Loomes;'Lantern Clocks and their makers', Mayfield Books 2008 p507:
1. Un-dated - the current lot, see White page 230, figure V/36
2. TV '92 White V/37
3. A second TV '92 Bruce and Hooper, Early English Lantern Clocks, 1615-1700 page 50.
4. TV '95 Darken and Hooper, English 30 hour clocks plates 2/66 and 2/67. Further illustrated in the catalogue to the Time and Place Exhibition, AHS, exhibit 20. Sold Dreweattes, 15 September 2015, lot 184.
5. TV '97 White V/38
6. Loomes notes "Another one has been noted, making a total of six now known."
As the current lot is undated it almost certainly pre-dates the 1692 example illustrated in White. But the lack of date is not the only interesting aspect that sets this clock apart from his others. Other major differences are in the engraved detailing of the dial.
This example does not use the brickwork corners so typical of later West Country production, nor does it use a fully floral scrolled centre. Instead, the clock centre displays an engraved mask below XII and a distinctive 'scroll-flowerhead-scroll-mask' run of engraving running from VI to XII around each side of the centre - more reminiscent of the earlier West Country makers such as Thomas Browne of Bristol illustrated in White V/22, 23,27,28 and Edward Webb of Chewstoke in the 1680s, see White figs V/39 and V/40.