Jacob Sargeant, Hartford, Connecticut. A cherry case tall clock with a moon phase dial. 225024.
This richly colored, chocolate-brown, cherry-cased exhibits a popular regional case form used by a number of clockmakers working in the Hartford/Windsor area of Connecticut. This example is taller than most of the similar examples we have owned, standing 95.5 inches tall to the top of the spike on its central finial. The narrowly proportioned case stands on four applied ogee bracket feet, which are mounted below the double-stepped molding. The base panel is longer than it is wide. A cove-shaped molding transitions the base to the waist. It is interesting to note that it slightly overhangs the base. A shaped waist door dominates the waist section. The door is trimmed with a simple molded edge and provides access to the case's interior, where one will find the two drive weights and brass-faced pendulum bob. Fluted quarter columns are inset into the front corners of the waist. These terminate in brass quarter capitals and bases. The open fretwork-style bonnet is surmounted with three brass ball-and-spiked finials. These are positioned on capped and fluted plinths or chimneys. The plinths also support the regional fretwork pattern incorporating a multiple c-scroll design. The bonnet door is an arched form and is fitted with glass. The free-standing bonnet columns are fluted and also terminate in brass capitals and bases. Oval windows are fitted in the sides of the hood.
This 12-inch iron dial, manufactured in England by the Wilson firm, is a significant feature of this clock. It is fitted with a false plate and is signed at the top. In the arch or lunette of this dial, one will find the automated feature of a moon phase or lunar calendar. This feature, often found in high-quality clocks, accurately depicts the phases of the moon, adding both aesthetic and functional value to the timepiece. On one side is a detailed view of a substantial cottage set in the valley at the base of a mountain. The opposite view is of a stone house of worship located on the banks of a lake. Human figures are depicted in the foreground of both scenes, providing scale. At the base of the lunette are two hemispheres, each decorated with terrestrial map transfers. The four spandrel areas are decorated with colorfully painted floral themes set against a green background. The time track features Arabic five-minute markers and Roman-style hour numerals. A dotted minute ring separates them. A subsidiary seconds dial and the calendar display are located in their traditional positions. This dial is signed "JAC'b SARGEANT / HARTFORD" in block lettering.
This movement is constructed in brass and is of good quality. The two large brass plates are supported by four turned posts. Hardened steel shafts support the polished steel pinions, brass gearing, grooved winding drums, and recoil escapement. 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. This is done on a cast-iron bell mounted above the movement on a post.
This case has the following approximate dimensions: 95.5 inches tall to the top of the center finial. It is 21 inches wide and 9.25 inches deep at the upper bonnet molding.
This clock was made circa 1810.
It is reasonably priced at $11,500.
Inventory number 225024.
Jacob Sargeant was born in Mansfield, Connecticut, on February 28, 1761. He was the son of Samuel and Hannah (Baldwin) Sargeant. It is not clear where or with whom he served his apprenticeship. A variety of movements have been found in the almost twenty tall clocks we have recorded. Several examples suggest that he may have been trained as a clockmaker by Peregrine White of Woodstock, Connecticut. Another grouping points to Nathan Storrs of Mansfield. Jacob worked in both towns and has connections to each, not only as a clockmaker but also as a gold and silversmith and related trades. Jacob worked in Mansfield from 1784 through 1789 as a goldsmith and silversmith. He advertised in The Connecticut Gazette and the Universal Intelligencer (Mansfield Center, CT) on January 11, 1784, "... shop in Mansfield makes clocks and watches, gold and silversmith work." On January 30, 1785, Jacob married Olive Paine of Canterbury, Connecticut, in Mansfield Center, CT. In 1790, he trained his brother Thomas Sargeant (1773-1834). In 1790, Jacob moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, and advertised in the Hampshire Chronicle (Springfield, MA) 1790 as a gold- and silversmith. Here, he continued to make clocks and sell jewelry and employed his younger brother Thomas as an apprentice. He also trained Shubael Storrs in 1790 and Charles Brewer in 1791. In October 1795, he advertised in The Courant, a Hartford newspaper, that he had moved or "Established his business at the sign of the Golden Watch, a few rods South of the State House in Hartford." His two-story stone building had a fine showroom on street level. The workshops were located upstairs. By 1800, Sargeant had a retail business which was one of the largest in Hartford; he sold his own silver, the silver of other makers, guns, and clocks. He was known far and wide as a man of sterling character, a devout Christian, and a shrewd businessman. While in Hartford, he trained Joseph Church in 1816 and Walter Ward Hart in 1820. He also apprenticed three Pitkin boys, John, Walter, and Henry. Henry became a talented watch repairman and ultimately a watchmaker. Henry eventually bought Jacob's tools when Jacob retired. A disastrous fire raged through Hartford in 1833. The Pitkins lost their shop. Only three buildings survived. One was Sergeant's shop. He sold it to the younger Pitkins. They cleaned the soot left by the fire and painted it a gleaming white with black trim. The new sign erected read "John Pitkin & Bros. Successors to Jacob Sargeant." Jacob remained in Hartford until he died in 1843. Jacob Sargeant's shop sign is now in the Connecticut Historical Society collection.
We have seen and owned a fair number of tall clocks made by Jacob Sargeant. The earliest examples feature engraved brass dials finished with a silver wash. One such example, which is signed Hartford, features a musical movement. It is a three-train clock and plays one of six tunes on the hour. The four spandrel areas are decorated with depictions of the four seasons. This dial is thought to have been engraved by Richard Brunton, a well-known maker of dials and bookplates and, among other talents, a counterfeiter of currency. The case is cherry and is attributed to Aaron Chapin of East Windsor. This case exhibits the Hartford / Norwich form. A second example also features an engraved dial. That dial is silver and features a rocking ship in the arch. The four spandrel areas are skillfully engraved depictions of the four seasons. This case is also cherry. It features an applied swan's neck pediment, which is pierced. (Chapin Case?) The majority of the other examples found have been painted dial clocks.
