James Stratton
Director
Lot 127
An ebonised striking table clock The backplate signed Joseph Knibb, London.
2 December 2025, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£3,000 - £5,000
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Lewis Walduck
Cataloguer
An ebonised striking table clock
The backplate signed Joseph Knibb, London.
The case surmounted by a brass handle over a caddy and moulded top, the front with pierced sound frets backed in red silk and a pair of Knibb-style door escutcheons, with glazed sides, to a moulded base. The 6.5-inch brass dial with silvered chapter ring with Roman and Arabic numerals intercepted by fleur-de-lys half-hour markers, the matted centre engraved with a bird and date aperture, framed by winged cherub head spandrels and signed to the lower edge Joseph Knibb London. The movement with five latched pillars and thin plates, with verge escapement and powered by a pair of gut fusees, striking the hours on a bell via a large numbered countwheel set on the backplate over a finely engraved pattern of flowers and foliate scrolls, signed in a low arc Joseph Knibb Londini Fecit. Ticking and striking. Case, dial and movement associated, largely 20th century, backplate possibly late 17th century (see footnote). 36cms (14.5ins) high.
The case surmounted by a brass handle over a caddy and moulded top, the front with pierced sound frets backed in red silk and a pair of Knibb-style door escutcheons, with glazed sides, to a moulded base. The 6.5-inch brass dial with silvered chapter ring with Roman and Arabic numerals intercepted by fleur-de-lys half-hour markers, the matted centre engraved with a bird and date aperture, framed by winged cherub head spandrels and signed to the lower edge Joseph Knibb London. The movement with five latched pillars and thin plates, with verge escapement and powered by a pair of gut fusees, striking the hours on a bell via a large numbered countwheel set on the backplate over a finely engraved pattern of flowers and foliate scrolls, signed in a low arc Joseph Knibb Londini Fecit. Ticking and striking. Case, dial and movement associated, largely 20th century, backplate possibly late 17th century (see footnote). 36cms (14.5ins) high.
Footnotes
Provenance:
The Carl Barnes Collection.
This movement, without a case was purchased at Sotheby's, New York, 1st February 1992, Lot 26, the invoice describes it as "a rare Charles II clock movement....circa 1680"
Sold together with a breakdown of the work carried out by Montpelier Clocks, Cheltenham together with their handwritten invoice detailing the restoration and rebuilding work completed on the clock after it's purchase at Sotheby's. This included the making of a new chapter ring "supplied to suit," the fitting of new spandrels to the dial, cleaning of the dial plate, treating the back of the dial, and the polishing and bluing of the hands. Further work comprised plugging 7 holes, re-engraving the backplate where necessary, the creation of a new backcock, new top and bottom potances, centre wheel, escape wheel, verge pallets, pendulum block, rod and bob, as well as new hammer work, two new mainsprings, and a replacement seatboard. The origin of the current case is not known.