Bracket clock by Daniel Quare, London, c. 1700–1710

Dealer description — Howard Walwyn

A rare Queen Anne period walnut and burr yew wood bracket clock by this famous Royal Clock maker. The fully restored 8-day movement with its verge escapement and rack strike runs for 8 days, sounds the hours on a bell and has a pull repeat mechanism for recalling the last hour and last quarter hour on three bells. The dial has four winged cherub head corner spandrels with an outer wheat ear engraved border and inset date work. The maker’s name, D. Quare, London , is engraved on the silvered chapter ring outside the finely matted centre. The backplate also bears the maker’s signature, Daniel Quare, London , engraved within a cartouche set below scrolling foliage and four intertwining tulips. The exceptional walnut and burr yew wood veneered case is in remarkably original condition. It has its original brass foliate carrying handle and gilt brass sound frets. Its small size and shallowness are of particular appeal, as is the rich mellow colour and patination of the burr yew veneers. Very few burr yew and walnut veneered table clocks with square dial movements by Thomas Tompion or Daniel Quare have survived. This is the first such example by Daniel Quare we have been privileged to handle. Date: circa 1700-171o Height: 12 ¾ in (33 cm) Width: 10 ½ in (27 cm) Depth : 7 in (17.75 cm) *Daniel Quare is one of the great names from the finest period of English clockmaking and he was a justly worthy contemporary of Thomas Tompion, George Graham, Daniel Delander et al. He was born in Somerset in 1649, he became a Brother of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1671 and went on to serve as Master in 1708. In about 1701 he took on Stephen Horseman as an apprentice. He became a partner in 1718 and continued the business after Quare’s death in 1724. Daniel Quare’s reputation rests both on the fact that he was a great innovator and on the fine quality of his work. He and Tompion were the first to make some highly important walnut longcase clocks of year duration showing the equation of time and other complications. One of these is now in the Ilbert Collection in the British Museum. He was also successful in a judgement made by James II in 1688 for a Patent for a repeating watch, his rival being the Rev. Edward Barlow. Among his other inventions was a portable barometer and many superb examples exist in important collections today. Quare was an arch rival to Thomas Tompion, but as a practising Quaker he would not sign any oaths of allegiance. His Quaker beliefs thus prevented his appointment as Clockmaker to the King. He also often came into conflict with the authorities because of his refusal to pay tithes. Goods of the value of the tithe were then seized from him. Things improved after the Toleration Act of 1689 and he later served on the Parliamentary committee of the Meeting for Suffering. He had a highly successful business and counted many members of the Nobility and Foreign Ambassadors amongst his clientele. Towards the end of his life he retired to Croydon where he died, aged 75, on March 21 st 1724. He was buried at the Quaker Burial Ground, Bunhill Fields on the 27 th of March. References: Dawson, Drover and Parks, Early English Clocks Richard Garnier, ‘Innovation and Collaboration’ Brian Loomes, Clockmakers of Britain: 1286 – 1700 , pp.406-407 CC03