Lemuel Curtis Wall Timepiece or Banjo Clock. Concord, Massachusetts. 221208.
This is a fine Federal Massachusetts timepiece or "Banjo clock" made in Concord, Massachusetts, circa 1820 by Lemuel Curtis.
This is an outstanding example. The case is constructed in mahogany and retains an older finish. A gilded wooden finial is mounted on a mahogany plinth at the top of the case above the dial. The dial is protected by glass fitted in a cast brass bezel. This bezel is hinged on the right and opens to access the dial. This dial is painted. A closed minute ring is positioned along the perimeter. Roman-style hour numerals mark each hour. A gilt band frames the inside of the hour display. The two hands are steel. They have been hand filed in the shape of arrows and display the time. The filing exhibits a high level of skill. These hands are three-dimensionally formed. The gracefully shaped brass side arms are fitted to the sides of the throat section. Both frames retain their original gilding. These are fitted with carved rope-style moldings, inset in the frame channels. These frames are fitted with reverse-painted tablets.
These tablets are original to this clock and are skillfully executed. The designs are complex and exhibit a high level of artistry that is nicely detailed. Gilding, reds, and greens are the predominant colors. The lower tablet depicts a woman dressed in a white gown and holding a book in her left hand. She is sitting on a bench at the edge of the lawn. A little girl is seated below her on the ground. The little girl, also dressed in white, is happily engaged with a small lamb. The scene is framed in a complex gilt oval-shaped border. The corners of the glass are decorated with gilt spandrels. The throat tablet is also colorfully paint-decorated. This features a traditional theme. It is signed "PATENT" in a red banner positioned in the lower section of the glass. The center section features a grape cluster and its' vine. This glass is cracked at the top.
Behind the dial is a brass movement that is weight-driven and is designed to run for approximately eight days fully wound. The plates are rectangular shaped. The front plate is die-stamped with the Maker's name just below the pendulum bridge. The movement is set in a Concord-style case having a very distinctive cutout in the head. It is mounted to the back of the case with a single screw. The bridge is a butterfly form, and the teeth in the gear train are deeply cut. The pendulum features a Concord-style keystone and a brass-faced bob. The tie-down is also the form of what one would expect to find in a clock made in Concord.
This clock measures approximately 33.25 inches long overall. This timepiece was made circa 1820.
Inventory number 221208.
Lemuel Curtis was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, on July 3, 1790, to Samuel and Sarah (Partridge) Curtis. Sarah had five sisters, and four of them married clockmakers: Abel Hutchins, Elnathan Taber, Aaron Willard, and Samuel Curtis. Lemuel likely learned his craft from Simon Willard, a well-known clockmaker in Roxbury. In December 1811, Lemuel moved to Concord, Massachusetts, and opened his own shop near the courthouse. He advertised that he was working independently at that time. On December 1, 1814, he married Sarah Abbott of Concord. Two years later, on July 12, 1816, he received a patent for the Girandole wall clock. Many consider this decorative clock to be one of America's most beautiful contributions to clockmaking. Its gilded pendulum box was inspired by the round girandole mirrors popular between 1810 and 1830. In 1820, Lemuel partnered with Joseph N. Dunning, and they moved their business to Burlington, Vermont, in 1821. Their shop was at the corner of Church and College Streets in the Thomas Hotel, near the courthouse. They worked together until 1832, making clocks and silver items, and also selling watches, jewelry, and other goods. On May 4, 1832, they announced the end of their partnership. Afterward, Curtis continued in retail, selling items like bonnets, parasols, raisins, molasses, codfish, and mackerel. During the depression of 1837, he mortgaged his property and his pew in the White Meeting House. In 1839, he became an agent for looking glasses and later worked as a jeweler. Lemuel died in New York on June 17, 1857. He is remembered for making girandoles, timepieces, lyre clocks, and shelf clocks.
