A fine cherry case Tall Clock made by Joseph Loring of Sterling, Massachusetts. MM-121.
This clock case is constructed in cherry and retains a honey-brown finish. The case stands up off the floor on an applied bracket base that features four feet and incorporates subtle returns. The waist is long and centers a nicely shaped waist door trimmed with a simple molded edge. This distinctive door shape is found in clock cases constructed in this Central Massachusetts region. The front corners of the waist feature a subtle beaded edge detail. The hood or bonnet is surmounted with an open fretwork pattern, three fluted finial plinths, and three brass finials. The bonnet columns are smoothly turned and are mounted in brass capitals. The bonnet door is arched in form and fitted with glass. This door opens to access the painted dial.
This iron dial was paint-decorated by a local ornamental artist. His identity is currently unknown. However, he may have worked in the Worcester area because the decoration style is frequently repeated on other local clocks by Makers such as Benjamin Willard of Grafton, Luther Goddard of Shrewsbury, and Abel Stowell of Worcester. The technique has a distinct 'New England charm' about it, characterized by its less polished and more rustic appearance compared to the painted dials that were available from overseas or even from Boston. This dial is signed in the arch. The signature reads, “JOSEPH LORING / Sterling / FECIT.” Strawberries and various other forms of foliage surround the signature. The four spandrel areas are decorated with gilt themes. These center a red medallion. This dial also displays the hours, minutes, seconds, and calendar date in the traditional format.
The movement is constructed in brass and is of good quality. It is weight-driven and designed to run for eight days on a full wind. It is a time-and-strike design with a rack and snail striking system. As a result, it will strike each hour on the hour. This is done on a cast iron bell mounted above the movement.
This lovely country clock was made circa 1795.
The case is approximately 88.5 inches or 7 feet 4.5 inches tall to the top of the center finial.
Inventory number MM-121.
Clockmaker and Chairmaker.
Joseph Loring was born in Lancaster, Massachusetts, on July 19, 1768, and died in Sterling, Massachusetts, on January 31, 1846. He was 78 years of age. Joseph is listed in the Sterling town histories as a clockmaker as early as 1792. He also ran a general store located on the corner of Main Street and Kendall Hill Road. This general store was later purchased by the Estabrook family, who continued to operate the business for many years to follow. Joseph is said to have trained Daniel Holmes as a clockmaker, and it appears that he worked for him as a journeyman in 1801 - 1802. Loring's account book covering 1791-1812 is in the Collection at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts. It reveals a variety of activities, including business relationships between Benjamin Willard, Gardner Parker, and Able Stowell.
Joseph Loring made tall case clocks and shelf clocks. He purchased a number of tall clock cases from John Hill of Leominster. We have also seen a Massachusetts shelf clock with a cabinetmaker's label pasted inside the case that reads, "C. Simmons / Cabinetmaker." By the early 1820s, chair production in the town of Sterling took off, and soon 70,000 chairs were made there annually. Loring became very much involved in chair production. By 1845, Joseph's estate near Sterling, MA, contained about 70 acres of first-rate land equally divided into mowing, pasturing, and tillage with a building. The buildings included a large two-story house, a 20 by 30 barn, and two sheds. Water was provided by a never failing spring piped to the house via lead pipes. A chair and paint shop with a small dwelling house was adjoined.
