Bracket clock by Charles Goode, London, c. 1715–1720

Dealer description — Howard Walwyn

A rare George I period walnut veneered table clock by this excellent maker. The eight day movement, which strikes the hours on a single bell, has a verge escapement, short lenticular bob pendulum and pull quarter repeat work on six bells. There is a subsidiary dial at the top of the arch dial for strike/silent. The 6 inch dial has foliate and satyr head corner spandrels and a silvered brass chapter ring with fleur-de-lys half-hour markers and inside quarters. The date indicator is inset above 6 o’clock above which the maker’s signature is engraved on a cartouche set inside the dial plate. There is also a central crescent shaped aperture for the false pendulum within the finely matted dial centre. The elaborate back plate is engraved with beautiful floral and foliate scrolls, pairs of winged birds and trumpeting cherubs. The maker’s name Charles Goode, London is set on an oval cartouche just below the centre. There is a fine outer boarder of wheatear engraving. The exceptional case is constructed primarily in chestnut and veneered with beautifully figured and patinated walnut. It has an inverted bell top with a brass carrying handle and the very unusual feature of hinged opening side doors. Date : circa 1715-1720 Height : 16 ½ in (42 cm) Width: 10 ½ in (26.5 cm) Depth: 6 ¾ in (17.5 cm) * Charles Goode was made free of the Clockmakers Company in 1686 and he had his own workshop in the Strand, London where he had a number of apprentices. He is said to have died in 1730. There are a number of similarities between his work and that of Daniel Delander, Daniel Quare and John Ellicott. With this clock there is the beautifully executed dial with its matted centre, fleur de lys half hour markers on the chapter ring, finely wrought blued steel hands and well cast brass corner spandrels. I believe that this clock was found in Italy and is the second walnut table clock by Goode we have known which was found there. The elegant case is very unusual with its chestnut carcase timber and front door which opens from right to left. The original side opening doors with their miniature brass latches and pinned hinges are almost unique and hark back to the very first table clocks. The rear door, which also opens from right to left, has a large rectangular glass aperture to show off the exceptionally beautiful backplate, another very unusual feature. The internal surfaces of the case and original seatboard are dry and untouched. A further example of Goode’s work is the wonderful miniature marquetry longcase illustrated on plate 13 page 260 of “ Early English Clocks ” by Dawson, Drover and Parkes . In the same volume there is a fine three train quarter repeating ebony bracket clock shown in plates 580, 581 and 717. We ourselves had a miniature lantern clock and two small ebony veneered bracket clocks by Goode notable for their exquisite engraving, distinctive high grade movements, and the bolection mouldings on the front doors of the cases. See plates 40 on page 98 of “ The Wetherfield Collection of Clocks “ by Eric Bruton . Charles Goode is in our view one of a small number of great underrated makers like Edmund Appley, Claudius Duchesne, Richard Street and Christopher Gould. The exceptional quality of their actual clocks greatly exceeds their reputations, but with greater knowledge amongst collectors, dealers and other cognoscenti this is beginning to change. HW5983