George Rodney Taylor of Sunderland, England. This mahogany and rosewood veneered tall clock is inlaid with brass and features an automated dial. 222136.
This rare, historical, automated English tall clock commemorates Colonel Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and his victories at battle. This 13-inch painted iron dial is very colorful, featuring bright shades of red and blue. The portraits of four of Wellesley's officers are depicted in the spandrel areas of the dial. These include; Sir David Baird Baird, General Ferguson, Lieutenant-General Sir John Hope, and William Carr Beresford, Viscount Beresford. Each portrait is framed with a gilt circle and surrounded by flags and armaments. In the dial's arch, we see Wellesley's portrait prominently displayed alongside a lion, which is meant to personify qualities of the British: strength, courage, dignity, and pride. In addition, there is an infantry drum to the right of Wellesley with sabers, spears, flags, and rising smoke behind him. In the battle seen behind him, the English troops are depicted in the foreground and the French, in blue, are in the back. This dial is automated. On the left is a cannon that discharges a cannonball that flies behind the Colonel into the French soldiers with every pendulum swing. Automated clock dials were made in several different forms. The most common of these features an automated rocking ship. Other variations depict Eve handing Adam an apple and Father Time swaying side to side. Still, in over 50 years in the business, we cannot recall seeing a clock with an automated cannon discharging a cannonball into the air. The time ring of this dial is formatted with Arabic quarter hour markers that are separated from the Arabic hour numerals by a dotted minute ring. The dial's center features a seconds indicator and a calendar in the traditional locations. This dial is signed by the clockmaker. The signature reads, "G. R. Taylor/ Sunderland," just below the calendar display. The dial bears the name and working location of the clockmaker, George Rodney Taylor of Sunderland, England, who made this clock circa 1820. Taylor worked on New Gray Street in Sunderland, a coastal town located in Northumberland, close to Newcastle. Taylor was born in Stockton-on-Tees in 1783. He died in 1855. The brass-made hands are well-formed and decorated with hammering and engravings.
The highly figured mahogany case is as spectacular as the dial. The mahogany wood selected features vibrant grain patterns featured on the case's front panels. It is also crossbanded in rosewood and decorated with numerous brass inlays. The brass inlays are intricately designed. This case is elevated on four turned wooden feet. The bonnet has ring-turned-bonnet columns that display Corinthian capitals and two brass ball and spike finials. Inside the case is the cabinetmaker's label. It reads, "FROM / MILLER'S / GOTHIC WAREHOUSE / OF / FASHIONABLE / CABINET FURNITURE, / PILGRIM STREET, / NEWCASTLEUPON-TYNE."
The clockworks are constructed in brass and are of good quality. Four-turned pillars support the two brass plates. Hardened steel shafts support the polished steel pinions and brass gearing. The winding drums are grooved. The escapement is designed in a recoil format. The movement is weight-driven and intended to run for eight days on a full wind. It is a two-train or a time-and-strike design having 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 design is very reliable and is an excellent timekeeper.
This attractive clock measures approximately 7 feet 4 inches or 88 inches tall to the top of the center finial, 21.75 inches wide, and 11.75 inches deep.
Inventory number 222138.
