FINE ANTIQUE CLOCKS.
Tel.(01732)358986. Fax.(01732)771842.
To Contact us click here.
FINE ANTIQUE CLOCKS.
Tel.(01732)358986. Fax.(01732)771842.
To Contact us click
here.
|
31246C.L A most unusual and exceptionally cased longcase clock. The case predominantly of mahogany but with crossbanding and inlays of various exotic woods. The hood with a flat top with dentil moulding surmounted by three ball finials. Underneath this is an inlaid geometric frieze. The hood itself has Corinthian columns with brass caps and an oval well figured mask with rope stringing round the oval and fan inlays in each of the four corners. The top of the trunk again has a geometrically inlaid frieze, but this time with sand shaded inlays in the middle of each geometric pattern done in various woods. The trunk itself has canted corners with beaded pillars with lighter wood inlay in between the beads at the bottom. The door itself has a shaped top, is crossbanded on the edges and both inside and outside of the crossbanding there is further stringing. The mahogany veneers for the main part of the door of the case are well chosen with good strong flames. Beneath the door there is a further inlaid panel with a round oval inside a crossbanded panel and at the sides of the trunk, below the Corinthian columns, there are further edged crossbanded and inlaid segments. The base again with canted and reeded corners stands on ogee feet and has an applied round panel, again crossbanded and edged with fine quality flame veneers. The overall effect of this case is quite exceptional, we have never seen a better quality or more complex case of this type. The oval painted dial has a moon phase in the top of the oval and the signature "Thos. Benbow, Northwood" above the moon phase. It has painted gilt spandrels between the moonphase and the dial and the centre of the dial has a nicely painted scene of a lady with animals in a rural landscape. There is a tune selection lever above the centre of the dial giving you the choice of air or march. The eight day musical movement has a pin barrel mounted fore and aft and plays its tunes on eight bells with sixteen hammers. The movement has four latched pillars for the main plates and four subsidiary pillars for the musical carriage, these are also latched. Although this clock was made in a period when rack striking was the norm it is in fact countwheel striking. |
Many of the features of this movement show that it was almost certainly a special commission produced by Benbow who did not do what many makers of that time were doing which would have been to buy in a partly finished musical movement.
Height: 7.5" (228 cms.)
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Thomas Benbow is listed in Northwood (Salop which is Shropshire) from 1785 and a watch by him was in the Ilbert Collection. A clock by Thomas Benbow when he was in Newport is illustrated on page 177 of "Georgian Bracket Clocks" by Richard Barder. Further illustrations of clocks by him are on page 93 and 163 of "Painted Dial Clocks" by Brian Loomes. It is understood that Thomas Benbow was a relative of the famous Admiral Benbow, he died in 1809. Click on the tune you require. |
