Samuel Abbott of Boston, Massachusetts. A gilded framed mirror clock. XXSL-4.
This is an excellent example of a signed mirror clock made by Samuel Abbott while working in Boston, Massachusetts.
It is my experience that gilded mirror clocks are usually found in rough condition. However, this outstanding example has been very well preserved. This case is constructed in white pine and features a large gilded door that fronts the clock. A large cornice molding is fitted to the top of the case. It overhangs the door or frame that is designed like a wall mirror of the same period. Decorative circular carvings are applied to the front surfaces of the square blocks that form the corners. All four sides of the frame are a convex form. A turned and shaped half-column is mounted inside the hollow. All of this decoration is gilded and retains most of the original surface. The door is divided into two sections. The lower section features a period mercurial mirror that appears to be original to the clock. The upper section is fitted with a wonderfully painted tablet that is in excellent original condition. This tablet is painted-decorated from the back and frames the dial. The door will open to allow one access to the dial and the mechanism which is positioned behind it. The painted iron dial is slightly convex in form and is signed by the clockmaker, “Samuel Abbot / Boston.” The weight-driven movement is framed with “Grand piano” shaped brass plates. Abbott is reportedly the only clockmaker that used this distinctive design. The movement is weight driven and designed to run for eight days on a full wind. The cast iron drive weight slides up and down along the steel rods that are mounted inside the case.
This clock case is nicely proportioned, measuring 34.75 long, 20.25 inches wide at the cornice molding, and 6 inches deep in the same location. This clock was made circa 1830.
Mirror clocks that share this basic form are often called New Hampshire Mirror clocks. That is not to say that they were all made in New Hampshire, but the vast majority of them were. Over the years, I have heard it said that more were made in New Hampshire than in the other Northeastern States combined. Let us exclude the Munger and Ives examples. Most of these NH versions were designed to hang on the wall. A small number of examples are found fitted with a baseboard that allows the door to swing open, providing the clearance to do so if sitting on a shelf or a piece of furniture. Mirror clocks generally consisted of cases that were designed in the following manner.
The cases are shallow. The presentation side or front is formatted in the shape and design of a wall mirror. They vary in that many feature mahogany veneers, some are paint-decorated, and others are finished in gilding. They are often visually divided into two sections. The lower section is almost two-thirds of the case length. This area is almost always fitted with a mirror. The upper section displays a round dial that is framed with a painted table. The artwork is applied from the back. The movement construction can vary significantly based on the individual clockmaker. For example, the Berwick, Maine, group of clockmakers often made iron-plated movement examples. A large percentage of the striking examples have been made in Concord, NH, by Abiel Chandler. The clocks that feature a wheel barrel movement where the gearing is laid out horizontally have roots in the Boscowan, NH group of clockmakers. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule.
Inventory number XXSL4.
Samuel Abbott was born May 14, 1791, in Concord, NH. He was the son of Stephen Abbott and Mary Giles. Samuel began his career as a clockmaker, watchmaker, silversmith, and jeweler in Dover, NH, in 1812. On March 5, 1813, Samuel married Jane Day of Concord, New Hampshire. Together they had two sons. Their son, John Sullivan Abbott, worked in Montpelier, Vermont, in similar trades. The Abbott family moved from Dover to Boston, Massachusetts, in about 1827. Samuel is listed in the Boston Directories as a clockmaker from 1827 through 1830. He is listed at several addresses: first at 11 Pitt Street, then 64 Hanover Street, and lastly, at 33 Merrimack. In 1830, Samuel left Boston and moved North to Montpelier, Vermont. He first advertised himself as a clock and watchmaker there in January 1830. In 1831-32, he partnered with Mr. Freeman as Abbott & Freeman. While in Montpelier, Samuel trained J. G. Hall as a clockmaker. Abbott was again listed in the New England Business Directories as a watchmaker and jeweler at Montpelier in 1849 and 1860. Samuel lived there until his death on May 4, 1861, at the age of 70. He is buried in the Green Mountain Cemetery in Montpelier, VT.
Examples of tall clocks, shelf clocks, New Hampshire mirror clocks, lyre wall clocks, and patent timepieces have been found. He is noted for his distinctive three-pillar, "grand piano" shaped timepiece movements. Many of these clocks are found with a teardrop-shaped pendulum keystone. A watchpaper also survives. It is in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, MA.
