Asa Sibley. Clockmaker and Silver Smith. Working in Woodstock, Connecticut; Sutton, Massachusetts; and Walpole, New Hampshire. A pine case tall clock with brickwork dial. 218104.
The engraved brass dial, a testament to the high level of skill and fine workmanship, is a unique feature of this clock. The style of the engravings, distinct from those produced in Windsor, Connecticut, at the time, is a standout. The Maker's name, displayed in the arch of the dial, is positioned in the center of a circle that is beautifully decorated. The upper spandrels, adorned with brickwork patterns, are particularly interesting. The two lower spandrel areas are engraved with a design that resembles a shell or maybe a fan of wheat. The time ring is formatted with Roman numeral hour markers and Arabic-style five-minute markers. The subsidiary seconds dial, positioned below the hour numeral XII, is formatted with a closed second ring, lacking numerical reference points. The center of this area is engraved with a compass. The date of the month aperture is positioned above the hour numeral VI, below which is an engraved fleur-dis-lis. The hands, in an exciting form, point out the correct time.
The brass movement is designed to run for eight days on a full wind. The plates are supported by four-turned pillars or posts. This clock strikes the hour on a large cast iron bell mounted above the movement on a stand. The winding drums are grooved to accept the weight cord in an orderly fashion. The strike train is a rack-and-snail design. This movement is of good quality.
This case is constructed in New England white pine. The use of pine is an interesting choice. This may suggest that Sibley sold this clock, the dial, the movement, the pendulum, and weights to someone who may have had their local casemaker build the case for them. The form is good, and it is nicely proportioned. The case stands just over 7 feet tall. This example is elevated off the floor on four bracket feet applied to the bottom of a simple stepped base molding. The grain in the base panel is positioned horizontally. The waist section is long and narrow. It is fitted with a tombstone-shaped waist door, which provides access to the case's interior. Open this molded edge door, and you will find the two drive weights and pendulum. This bonnet features a swan's neck pediment form. The horns center a plinth that was never fitted with a finial. The arched bonnet door is fitted with glass. Fully turned and slightly shaped bonnet columns are secured at the corners of the hood. Windows or tombstone-shaped sidelights are incorporated into the sides of this bonnet.
This clock stands approximately 7 feet .75 inches tall to the top of the horns. It is 19.75 inches wide and 10.75 inches deep at the upper bonnet molding.
Asa Sibley, a renowned Clockmaker and Silver Smith, crafted this clock circa 1790. This was a time of great innovation and craftsmanship, and Sibley's work is a testament to the skill and dedication of the artisans of that era.
Inventory number 218104.
Asa Sibley, Clockmaker, and Silversmith was born in Sutton, Massachusetts, on March 29, 1764, and died on February 29, 1829. His parents were Col. Timothy Sibley and Anne Waite. Together, they had 15 children. Asa is thought to have trained with his older brother Timothy Jr who was born in 1754. Timothy Jr. is thought to have trained in the art of clockmaking with the Willard family in Grafton. Asa had a second brother that also worked in the clock trades. His name was Stephen who was born in 1757. Asa worked for a time in Norwich, Connecticut, and in 1782 moved to Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Asa moved to Woodstock, Connecticut, around 1785 and associated himself with Peregrine White (1747-1834), who also worked as a silversmith and a clockmaker in that town. He was active from 1774 to 1810. Asa married Irene Carpenter in 1787 (b. July 31, 1766, Woodstock, CT. Died October 5, 1846, in Rochester, NY). She was the daughter of the Norwich, Connecticut, clockmaker Joseph Carpenter. Asa then returned to Sutton from Woodstock for several years. After 1797, he moved his family to Walpole, New Hampshire, following the Windham clockmaker Gurdon Huntington. The two must have been well acquainted because Sibley administered Huntington's will in 1804. Asa is recorded as buying land in Walpole in 1797. He was active in town politics. He served as a selectman and town moderator between 1802 and 1807. Several land transactions are recorded. In 1808, they moved again to Rochester, New York, where he died in 1829.
Currently, three clocks can be publicly viewed. The first is in the Sturbridge Village Collection. This clock features an inlaid cherry case. The engraved brass dial is signed with the place location of Walpole, NH. A second cherry-cased example is in the Mount Holyoke College of Art collection. This clock is also signed with the place location of Walpole (NH).
