A Fine Federal Inlaid Mahogany Tall Case Clock. The works attributed to the Hanover, Massachusetts clockmaker John Bailey II along with the cabinetmaker Abiel White of Weymouth. Circa 1815-20. 217073
The hood transitions into the waist section with a flared throat molding above a hinged pendulum door. The door is flanked with brass stop fluted quarter columns that terminate in brass quarter capitals and bases. The hinged pendulum door is fitted with an applied molding along its’ perimeter. The panel features cross banded border, line inlay and a vibrantly figured mahogany veneer. The cabinetmaker used dramatically contrasting inlay patterns in both this door and the lower panel. This contrast is emphasized by the deep surface color to great effect. The door is fitted with a lock and brass keyhole surround.
The narrow waist section transitions to the base with a flared molding. The rectangular base panel has a cross-banded mahogany border around a rich crotch-grained panel of mahogany veneer. Additional light line inlays frame these elements. The base is elevated on four nicely formed feet with spur returns. This distinctive pattern is associated with the cabinetmaker.
The overall height is 88.5 inches of 7 feet 4.5 tall to the top of the center finial. At the upper hood molding ist is 19.75 inches wide and 8.75 inches deep.About John Bailey II of Hanover, Massachusetts. A quaker clockmaker. An exceptional mechanic and an inventor.
John Bailey II was born in Hanover, Massachusetts, the son of Colonel John (A shipbuilder) and Ruth Randall Bailey on May 6, 1751. He died there 72 years later, on January 23, 1823. It is thought that he learned clockmaking at a very young age and may have been self-taught. John is responsible for training numerous apprentices. Many of which include his younger brothers Calvin and Lebbeus, his son John III, Joseph Gooding, Ezra Kelley, and Hingham’s Joshua Wilder. Many of these trained apprentices moved to other southeastern Massachusetts towns and became well known to their local communities. John was the most prolific maker of the six Baileys involved in the clock business. In addition, he was a Quaker preacher, an ingenious mechanic, and an instrument maker. Other examples of his work include a surveyor’s compass that is now in the Hanover Historical Society’s collection. He was also an inventor and received a patent for a steam-operated roasting jack. This device was designed to turn the meat over a fire to cook it more evenly.
John’s clocks are loosely broken down into two categories. The first is a home-developed style. These examples often have sheet brass dials engraved and treated with a silver wash. Several examples are known to us with movements that are constructed in wood. Others are constructed in brass, and the plates are fully skeletonized. Some of these later clocks incorporate wooden winding drums. It is interesting to note that he made both types of strike trains. We have seen examples that he signed that feature a count wheel set up and the more popular rack and snail. Very few clockmakers used both setups. The cases are typically constructed in indigenous woods that include maple and cherry. These examples have pleasing country proportions and lack the sophistication of the Roxbury school. Sometime around 1790, the Roxbury / Boston influence must have played a significant role in John’s production. The movements on these examples are more apt to incorporate fully plated movements. In addition, the cases resemble those being turned out by the Willard School to the North. These feature mahogany cases that are often decorated with inlays. This second generation of output is much more formal in appearance.
Over the years, we have owned a fair number of clocks made by him. Some of which included numerous tall case clocks, dwarf clocks, and the Massachusetts shelf clock form.
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