William Prevost, Newcastle, c 1698 A provincial walnut and marquetry year-going striking longcase скачать в хорошем качестве

William Prevost, Newcastle, c 1698 A provincial walnut and marquetry year-going striking longcase

William Prevost, Newcastle Circa 1698 An exceptional provincial William III walnut and floral marquetry year-going and hour striking longcase clock Height 7 foot 4 inches (235 mm) Case The fine provincial case veneered in walnut, inlaid with floral marquetry, typically onto a pine carcass. The hood surmounted by a domed caddy top, with floral marquetry on an ebonised ground to the leading surface, over a walnut cornice and delicately fretted frieze, supported by slim reflective walnut Solomonic columns to the marquetry hood door, with matching side quarter-columns beyond the glazed side apertures. The trunk with walnut convex throat mouldings above the all-over marquetry trunk door with flowers, green-stained leaves, birds and scrollwork with a glazed, brass framed, pendulum lenticle, the sides veneered in plain walnut. The matching walnut base mouldings, over the similarly veneered base with flower and bird marquetry to the front, and a plain walnut skirt. Dial The 12 inch (305 mm) square brass dial with three latched dial feet, the fine matting with a low-planted small seconds ring above centre, and low positioned ring-turned winding holes. The silvered brass hour chapter, without quarter division ring but with arrowhead and cup half-hour marks between the Roman hours, and signed Wm Prevost, Newcastle flanking VI, the Arabic minutes with cross half-quarter marks between, are set outside the minute division ring, with light, delicately pierced and shaped, blued steel hands. The leaf-engraved border interrupted by four silvered plaques, providing an annual and monthly calendar, reference for moon phase and high tides. Duration One year Movement The year going and striking movement with substantial plates and five latched finned baluster pillars, planted with high-count six wheel trains; the going with an anchor escapement and small diameter escape wheel and correspondingly small anchor pallets, with a long crutch moving between backplate mounted banking pins, the iron pendulum rod with delicate brass lenticular bob and knurled rating nut; the strike train is governed by a small inside countwheel striking on the large bell mounted above. Escapement Anchor with one second pendulum Strike Type Internal countwheel hour striking Provenance Anthony Woodburn July 1993 sold to Mr Francis Vitale, New Jersey, USA; Christie’s, Vitale Collection, 26th November 1996, lot 252, sold for £60,200; John C Taylor Collection, inventory no.20 Exhibited 2003, Oxford & Liverpool, Horological Masterworks, exhibit no.44; 2004, Holland, Paleis Het Loo, Huygens’ Legacy, exhibit no.84 Literature Richard Barder, English Country Grandfather Clocks, London, 1983, p.180-1, pl.115; Antiquarian Horology, Summer 1993, p.483 Anthony Woodburn; Horological Masterworks, 2003, (illus.) p.196-199; Huygens’ Legacy, 2004, (illus.) p.246-247 Comments This is believed to be earliest known year-going and striking longcase clock made outside London The present clock is believed to have been the result of a competition between William Prevost and another Newcastle clockmaker, the rather wonderfully named Deodatus Threlkeld (1657-1733). Tradition has it that, in 1698, the two makers had a contretemps in a Newcastle tavern as to which of them was the better clockmaker, a wager ensued and each agreed they would build a clock and return one year later. The two makers initially approached the Clockmakers’ Company to adjudicate, and their records show they declined to take any part in it, but two London clockmakers agreed to judge the bet in their stead: Samuel Watson and Edward Burgis. The dial is well finished and engraved, certainly up to London standards, while the silvered chapter ring seemingly affirms its provincial heritage, being without quarter-hour divisions that would only become common practice in London later in the 18th century. The blued steel hands are a very light design and extremely well finished. There are four square silvered plaques in the dial corners in place of normal spandrel mounts which show annual calendrical information: in order to use the top left plaque, it is first necessary to deduce the Dominical or Sunday letter. To do this, add to the year its fourth part, add six, divide the total by seven and take the remainder. Select the Sunday letter, using the remainder, according to the following rules, for zero-A, 1-G, 2-F, 3-E, 4-D, 5-C and 6-B. In a Leap Year two letters are required, one deduced as above up to 29th February and the next succeeding letter for the remaining period of the year. The bottom right plaque shows the times of high tide against the moon’s age and is apparently based on the tides at London Bridge and is thus up to about 1½ hours in advance of tides at Tinemouth (Tynemouth) and Whitebay (Whitby); bearing in mind the then-current state of tide theory this is not unreasonable. https://www.johnctaylor.com/