Robert Craike. A Clockmaker who worked in London. Long case clock. 222018.
This tall clock boasts a formal mahogany case and was expertly crafted by Robert Craike, sometimes spelled Crake, from London. According to Brian Loomes' Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World, Craike worked in London between 1770 and 1810, making this clock an exceptional example of distinguished English craftsmanship.
This tall clock from London has a unique dial. The brass dial is made from a brass base sheet and decorated with cast brass eagle-urn spandrels and chapter rings. Some parts are finished in a silver wash for contrast. What makes this clock special is how it displays information. Instead of a standard calendar date, the dial shows the lunar calendar below the center arbor. The lunar disk displays the moon's phase and the lunar calendar date on the outer band. The time of high tide in London appears on an inner ring. A painted starry night scene separates two engraved moons. In the arched lunette, the day of the week is shown, along with a figure representing that day: Monday is Libra, Tuesday is Capricorn and Cancer, Wednesday is Gemini and Pisces, Thursday is Virgo, Friday is Aries and Scorpio, Saturday is Sagittarius and Leo, and Sunday is Taurus and Aquarius. The astrological symbol for the weekday is engraved at the bottom of the disk, which rotates daily. The upper left corner of the dial shows the calendar day, and the upper right shows the month. At the top of the arch, the dial is engraved with "Robert Craike London." The large chapter ring has Roman numerals for the hours, separated from Arabic five-minute markers by a closed-minute ring. At the III o'clock position, there is a lever to turn the clock's striking train on or off, letting you choose whether the clock strikes the hours. The center of this part of the dial is matted, likely to help you see the hands more easily. Since brass can tarnish, this helps when reading the clock in candlelight. The dial also includes a subsidiary seconds dial, and the steel hands are finely crafted.
The movement is constructed in brass, with finished cast brass plates supported by smoothly turned brass posts. The gearing is brass, and the pinions are steel. The movement is weight-driven and runs for eight days. This clock strikes the hour on a bell. A rack-and-snail design engages the strike train. The winding barrels are grooved. A wooden seat board supports the movement in the case.
High-quality tall clocks like this are not fully appreciated today. The mahogany case is well-proportioned, with its deep color and tone highlighted by a modern shellac finish. The base panel, waist, and bonnet doors feature special crotch mahogany veneers. The case stands on a double-stepped bracket molding. The long waist has a full-length, tombstone-shaped door that lets you access the inside, where the two drive weights and brass-faced pendulum bob hang. The bonnet has a breakarch shape, with an arched and glazed door and brass stop-fluted columns on each side.
This clock, made circa 1775, stands 7 feet 6 inches tall.
Inventory number 222108.
