A Connecticut River Valley tall case clock. Unsigned. 213077.
This handsome case is constructed in cherry and retains an old surface or finish. This example stands approximately 7 feet 5 inches or 89 inches tall. This unsigned clock, a common occurrence in the 18th century, was made circa 1795. Its unsigned status does not diminish its historical significance or value, as many reputable clockmakers of the time did not always sign their work.
This cherry case is elevated or stands on four wonderfully shaped bracket feet. Pads are applied to the footprint, and the returns are bold and creatively designed. The feet are part of a double-step bracket molding. This molding is applied to the base. The base is decorated with an applied scalloped apron. This very interesting detail visually hangs from or below the lower waist molding. The waist section is fitted with a sizeable tombstone-shaped waist door. Through this door, one can access the two cast iron weights and brass-faced pendulum bob on its original wood rod. This arched-shaped door is fitted with bold molding around the outer edge and is secured by a brass turnbuckle. Very unusual inset quarter column are fitted in the front corners of the waist section. These are carved in a twisted rope design. A raised bead is incorporated or positioned between the broader turning. This artistic pattern became somewhat popular in the mid-1780s in Massachusetts’s Northampton and Springfield regions. These columns are framed in a beaded border. They terminate in turned wooden quarter capitals. The hood features a masculine molded arch molding, visually supported by four hood columns. The front two are fluted and terminate in brass capitals. The two positioned in the back corners are turned smooth and shaped with a taper. These terminate in wooden quarter capitals. The pierced and open fretwork pattern is unusual. It shares a very similar design to a pattern found on a clock by Daniel Burnap of East Windsor, CT, owned by the late William H. Putnam. This example is pictured on page 142 in Shop Records of Daniel Burnap Clockmaker, which Penrose R. Hoopes put together. The design is less restricted and free-flowing. The three capped finial plinths are fluted, and three wooden finials surmount them. The bonnet door and the side lights are arched in form and fitted with glass. The door opens to access the painted iron dial.
This colorfully painted dial features a moon phase or lunar calendar mechanism in the arch. The time track features large Roman numeral hour markers. The five-minute markers are painted in an Arabic form. A subsidiary seconds dial and month calendar can be found in their traditional locations inside the time ring. The four spandrel areas are colorfully decorated with floral themes. A gilt border frames the floral designs. This dial was painted by the Wilson Dial Manufactory in Birmingham, England, and imported into this country.
The escapement, a recoil format known for its reliability and precision, ensures accurate timekeeping. The weight-driven movement is designed to run for eight days on a full wind. It is a two-train or a time-and-strike design with a rack and snail striking system. As a result, it will strike each hour on the hour on a cast iron bell mounted above the movement.
This cherry case has several design elements that suggest its origin to be placed along the Connecticut River Basin because the dial is not signed. It is complicated to assign a specific location to where it was built. What we do know is the following. The general form and proportions reflect a Connecticut and central Massachusetts origin. The feet are a form commonly seen on cases constructed in the Norwich area. Many of those clocks were made by Thomas Harland. A drop apron applied to the upper section of the base is commonly found on clocks made in Norwich, Hartford, and towns located along the Connecticut River as far north as Windsor, Vermont, and in the Worcester, Massachusetts, area. This is also true of the fretwork pattern, which we now call a “Whale’s tails” fret pattern. The quarter columns are very usual and reflect a style found on several chests thought to be constructed in the Northampton and Springfield area. A good discussion about these case pieces can be found in the book Connecticut Valley Furniture, Elephant Chapin and His Contemporaries, 1750 - 1800, written by Thomas P. Kugelman and Alice K. Kugelman with Robert Lionetti.
Inventory number 213077.
