Tiffany & Co. Makers New York. A Tiffany made Tall Case Clock. 213164.
Tiffany & Company is New York’s and, indeed, America’s first great jeweler. This firm is forever linked to the city’s rise as the international capital of glamour and sophistication. The Tiffany & Co store on 5th Ave is among New York City’s most storied and romantic destinations.
The present clock is recorded in the manuscript Order Book kept by the Clock Department of Tiffany & Company from 1879 to 1918. This valuable resource is now currently in the New York Historical Society collection.
The order was for a chime movement for a Hall clock case. The case was ordered with “Green Glass.”
This clock movement is numbered 512. This is recorded as a die-stamp located on the back plate. In addition to this, “TIFFANY & CO MAKERS” and “PATENTED NOV. 7TH 1882” are also recorded here. According to the order book, this clock was made for stock and was completed on August 31, 1888. Other entries in the ledger indicate that the movement was to be a chime movement. Joseph Lindauer designed the strike train. The two-weight, 8-day duration movement is to be fitted with a mercury compensating pendulum at a $15 added charge. The pendulum included an additional $4.90 worth of mercury. The dial was ordered engraved at $1.50 and silvered at $4. This movement and dial cost $227.49 in materials and labor to construct.
This fine movement is constructed in brass and is of excellent quality. Four-turned pillars support the two heavy brass plates. Hardened steel shafts support the polished steel pinions and brass gearing. The winding drums are turned smooth. This movement is constructed with retaining or maintaining power. The escapement is a Graham deadbeat design. The pendulum rod is a single length of steel supported by a brass mount on the case’s backboard. The rod suspends two glass jars filled with mercury. The mercury is used to compensate for temperature changes. (Currently, the mercury is not with this clock.) The weight-driven movement is designed to run for eight days on a full wind. Both weights are constructed with lead and covered in decorative brass casings. The strike train was designed and patented by Joseph Lindauer. He was the supervisor of the clock department of Tiffany & Co. On November 7, 1882, he designed and patented a strike train that allowed the clock to strike the hours and the quarter hours through a single train powered by a single weight. The striking is performed on five coil-shaped wire gongs mounted inside the case and suspended from the top board. This clock strikes the Westminster sequence on the quarter hours and the hour on each hour. The quarter striking feature can be turned on or off by moving a lever on the dial’s left side. When this is turned off, the clock will strike each hour on the hour.
This carved mahogany case is wonderful. It is elevated off the floor on four pad feet. The base section is composed of two components. The lower section is straightforward and constructed with a slight taper. The corners begin to chamfer. This design element widens as you move up the case. The second section, transitioning through traditional moldings, continues the tapering theme. The canted corners become more prominent and are decorated with waterfall carvings. The three sides of the base are decorated with raised panels. The one located in the front is the most dynamic in that the upper corners are more fancifully designed. The waist section resembles a column. It is divided into five sections separated by narrow fluted wooden columns that terminate in turned wooden capitals. Each is fitted with glass. The two at the back of the case are fitted with clear glass with beveled edges. The front three panels each feature 30 or more green or blue-green glass panels. The glass is textured or modeled and held together in a lead framework. This handwork is very attractive. This was constructed as requested in the original order. The center section is a door that allows one access to the case’s interior. This is where one would access the two brass-covered weights and pendulum. The bonnet features several different carving motifs. The first is located in each of the lower corners. The face of Father Time aids the transition from the waist to the hood. Above the dial aperture is a carved ribbon motif. The crest is carved with a floral theme. The three hood doors are fitted with beveled glass panels. Carved parallel lines are incorporated into the design of the door. The top of the case is fitted with a crest. The front carries a floral theme. The two sides are decorated with repeating “Cs.” Overall, this example makes a beautiful statement.
The dial is brass, and the front surface has been treated with a silver wash. It is a circular form measuring 13.5 inches in diameter and features concentric rings molded into the form. The closed time ring uses dots as minute indicators. The hour numerals are calligraphic and applied to the dial’s surface. The subsidiary seconds dial is in the traditional position below the hour 12. This dial is signed “TIFFANY & CO. / MAKERS” below the center arbor. The hands are three-dimensionally formed and are in excellent condition.
Condition: Some wood loss and abrasions to crest and lower moldings. The four turned pad feet are new replacements designed to be removable. Two spiral-turned lead decorations have been restored. The lead work on the side panels appears to have been cleaned. Vertical splits are present in the dial door. All the glass in the hood is intact without cracks or repairs. - The dial has an abrasion to the silver wash between the hour numeral three and four. The movement has been fully serviced and is in excellent working order. The pendulum lacks mercury.
The case dimensions are approximately 96 inches tall, 22 inches wide, and 13.5 inches deep. This clock was made in August of 1888.
Inventory number 213164.
Tiffany & Co. Makers New York.
Tiffany & Company is New York’s and, indeed, America’s first great jeweler. This storied firm is forever linked to the city’s rise as an international capital of glamour and sophistication. The Tiffany & Co store, now located on 5th Avenue, is among New York City’s most storied and romantic destinations.
Charles Tiffany founded Tiffany & Co. in 1837. The store sold high-end goods, including jewelry, decorative lamps, stained glass, silver, and clocks. The vast majority of which was imported. They soon began to develop their own crafts by employing skilled artisans and craftsmen. For a brief period, 1870 -1910, Tiffany brought the manufacture of high-grade clocks in-house under the supervision of Master Clock Maker Joseph Lindauer. The manuscript Order Book kept by this Clock Department begins in 1879 and ends in 1910 and is now in the collection of the New York Historical Society. The clock movements manufactured in this department are die-stamped on the backplate with a number corresponding to the order number in the ledger. The first dated order is number 19, which was placed on October 30, 1879. The last numbered entry is for number 829, which was completed on April 13, 1910. The order book was updated until June 1918.
Joseph Lindauer was born on January 17, 1835, in Pilsen, Bohemia, Austria. He trained as a clockmaker in Pilsen and Prague. He came to America in 1865 and worked for Tiffany & Co., then at 550 - 552 Broadway as a clock repairer. He proved to be so proficient that he was soon put in charge. As the superintendent, he hired many skilled and expert clockmakers. Under his direction, Tiffany occupied a prominent position in American clock-making both aesthetically and technically. This division manufactured many important clocks, including astronomical clocks, which were exhibited by Tiffany & Co at the Paris and Chicago exhibitions. Examples of their work that are well-known to the clock community include two astronomical clocks. The first, No. 289, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection. The second example is in the Cleveland Museum of Art. An isochronal clock, No. 516, was designed to have four pendulums and was constructed in 1884. The current New York City store clock measures 9 feet tall. It includes a full Atlas figure supporting a clock on his shoulders. Another well-known public clock is located on the exterior of the Grand Central Terminal. Joseph Lindauer worked for Tiffany & Co. for 32 years. He died in New York on Sunday, March 7, 1897.
Today, Tiffany-constructed clocks are highly sought after and prized by collectors.
