"Willard's Patent." An unsigned Massachusetts Timepiece of Boston origin. 219094.

This is a fine Federal Massachusetts timepiece or “Banjo clock” made in Boston circa 1815. 

Simon Willard famously patented his revolutionary timepiece design in 1802. This U.S. Patent, signed by President Thomas Jefferson, provided Simon fourteen years to produce this form exclusively. Simon’s newly engineered wall-hanging timepiece changed the clock market very quickly. This clock form is compact, reliable, and an accurate eight-day timekeeper. 

This clock case exhibits many construction characteristics that one likes to find in examples made in the Boston area. The clock case is constructed in mahogany. The head of the case is uniformly cut out to provide space for the movement. The glue blocking is small, well-formed, and positioned in the traditional locations. 

The front or frames of this case are gilded and fitted with gilded ropes. The gilding has been over-painted with gold paint. The side arms and bezel are cast in brass. They are both a Boston form. The gilded eagle finial is carved from wood and is an excellent form. This finial is a replacement. 

Both of the frames are fitted with paint-decorated glass tablets. These eglomise tablets are hand-painted with a very high level of skill. They have had some areas of restoration. This restoration work was professionally done and focused on the border or mustard color field. The throat glass features several gilt designs and patterns. The crosshatching over a red field is an early design. The banner at the bottom of this glass reads “Willard’s Patent” over the green background. This pays homage to Simon’s design. The lower tablet is painted in many of the same colors. This depicts a patriotic scene titled “CAPTURE OF THE CYANE & LEVANT.” This naval battle took place at the end of the War of 1812. The HMS Cyane and the HMS Levant engaged the USS Constitution off the coast of Madeira on February 20, 1815. Both the Cyane & Levant surrendered to the Constitution after broadside exchanges. This tablet is also decorated with a number of themes. The American shield with the American eagle above it is centered here.

The enameled painted iron dial is actually a convex form. It is hand-painted and features a closed minute track. Roman-style numerals mark each hour. The hour and minute hands are made of steel. They are expertly hand-filed and have been blued.

The time only weight driven movement is brass construction. It is an eight-day design and is weight-driven. The movement construction features large rectangular-shaped brass plates, step train gearing, and a dead-beat escapement. The teeth in the gear train are deeply cut. A T-bridge suspension supports the pendulum. The movement was originally mounted to the back of the case with two steel through bolts. These have been replaced with screws.

This is very attractive Federal Massachusetts Timepiece or ‘Banjo clock’ was made circa 1815. This clock measures approximately 35 inches long. 

The weight-driven movement is mounted to the back of the case with two through bolts. They are designed to thread directly into the pine backboard. This movement is constructed in brass and will run for eight days once fully wound. It features large plates that are slightly rounded at the top, a step train layout, and the teeth that are deeply cut. The pendulum hangs from a “T-bridge” suspension. The rod is steel, and it supports a brass-covered bob. The case wood is mahogany and features flat mahogany frames. The wood retains an old finish. The wooden finial has been gilded. The cast bezel and sidearms are brass. The frames are cross-banded in mahogany, and they exhibit strong graining. Both frames are fitted with reverse-painted tablets. The tablets are hand-painted in good color and depict traditional themes. The throat tablet is original to this clock. It is wonderfully paint-decorated and features “Willard’s Patent” in the banner. The wording “Patent” refers to Simon Willard’s patent for this style of clock granted to him by the U. S. Patent Office in 1802. The lower tablet has been professionally repainted to match the original throat tablet. The artwork is skillfully executed. The brass bezel opens to a painted iron dial featuring small Roman-style numerals. The hands are steel and are wonderfully hand-filed. 

This clock measures approximately 33.5 inches long overall. 

Inventory number 219094.