James Stratton
Director
Lot 87TP
A late 17th century month duration walnut longcase clock Daniel Quare, London
2 December 2025, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£10,000 - £15,000
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Lewis Walduck
Cataloguer
A late 17th century month duration walnut longcase clock
Daniel Quare, London
The hood with a carved cresting over twisted columns above a convex throat moulding and a long trunk door with a glazed oval lenticle, the veneered base on a moulded plinth. The 11-inch square brass dial with winged cherub spandrels among foliate engraving, the silvered chapter ring with Roman numerals and Arabic five-minute markers enclosing a matted centre with subsidiary seconds and date aperture. The movement with six knopped pillars latched to the frontplate, anchor escapement, half-time hoop wheel, and outside countwheel striking on a bell. Sold together with one case key and one winding key, weights and pendulum. Case associated. 2.19m (7.16ft) high.
The hood with a carved cresting over twisted columns above a convex throat moulding and a long trunk door with a glazed oval lenticle, the veneered base on a moulded plinth. The 11-inch square brass dial with winged cherub spandrels among foliate engraving, the silvered chapter ring with Roman numerals and Arabic five-minute markers enclosing a matted centre with subsidiary seconds and date aperture. The movement with six knopped pillars latched to the frontplate, anchor escapement, half-time hoop wheel, and outside countwheel striking on a bell. Sold together with one case key and one winding key, weights and pendulum. Case associated. 2.19m (7.16ft) high.
Footnotes
Daniel Quare, a Quaker born in 1647, was admitted as Free Brother in the Clockmaker's Company in 1671 and served as Master in 1708. He later refused the office of Clockmaker to George I as his religion precluded him from swearing an oath of allegiance to the crown. Quare continued in business on his own until about 1715 when he took Stephen Horseman into partnership. He died in Croydon in 1724 and his business was carried on by Horseman until he fell into bankruptcy in 1733.
Half Time Hoop Wheels.
In clocks with count wheel striking the hoop on the third wheel usually has a single gap, this designed to allow a single blow of the hammer for each revolution. A half time hoop wheel has two gaps this allowing two blows of the hammer at each revolution. This action conserves energy and with this Daniel Quare month duration movement it avoids the necessity of an extra wheel to complement the time, going train which has to have an extra wheel between the great and centre wheel to provide the required extra duration.