Clocks · Longcase clock
Chinoiserie decorated longcase clock by Estwick, London, c. 1735
- Maker / attribution
- Estwick (maker)
- Date
- c. 1735
- Historical period
- Early Modern Horology (1600 – 1750)
- Country of origin
- England
- Place
- London
- Object type
- Longcase clock
- Materials / technique
- lacquer, chinoiserie
- Dimensions
- Height 8 ft 9 in (267 cm)
- Stock no.
- Product 404
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, P A Oxley (product 404)
- Catalogue title (original)
- 18th Century Chinoiserie decorated Longcase Clock by Estwick of London (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by P A Oxley (dealer), Wiltshire (stock number Product 404), this is a longcase clock by Estwick, made in London, England, dated c. 1735. The Atlas places it in the Early Modern Horology period (1600 – 1750) of its Clocks collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: lacquer, chinoiserie. Recorded dimensions: Height 8 ft 9 in (267 cm). The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — P A Oxley
An impressive 18th century Chinoiserie/Lacquered longcase clock with rare Moonphase feature to the arch. The 8 day duration five pillar movement striking the hours on a bell and with the fifth pillar latched. The full brass dial with separate silvered brass chapter ring, engraved matted centre, blued steel hands, date aperture, the makers name engraved on an unusual basket shaped cartouche and enclosed by four brass spandrels. The arch featuring a rare early moonphase with further engraving including a finely engraved Phoenix to each Hemisphere. The actual disc with engraved silvered brass Moons and stars. The hugely impressive Chinoiserie decorated case with a green/brown ground and featuring a total of seven horses throughout the main trunk and base. Also featuring birds, lions, trees, buildings, flowers and a horse drawn carriage to the base and standing on a solid double plinth. The hood with separate brass capped pillars and quarter pillars to the rear with gilt capitals. The double domed pediment with a full caddy top with finely executed fretwork and three gilt wooden finials. Note: Moonphase longcase clocks were not very commonly made in London. This is a particularly fine example with excellent lacquer work throughout the case and an exquisite dial to match. Thomas Estwick is known to have been working in the 1740's and a Thirteen Bell Musical Clock has been recorded by him. Maker Estwick of London
Historical context
Early Modern Horology (1600 – 1750)
Huygens' pendulum and balance spring transform accuracy; English makers develop the anchor and deadbeat escapements.
Huygens's pendulum (1656–57) improved clock accuracy from about a quarter of an hour to under a minute a day. The anchor escapement (c. 1670) and the long seconds pendulum created the longcase clock; London makers such as Fromanteel, Knibb, Tompion and Quare led European clockmaking, and French makers created the Boulle pendule.
Read the period in the timelineMore clocks from this periodEarlier: Renaissance Horology
Atlas type guide
Longcase (tall-case or grandfather) clocks
The longcase clock was born from two seventeenth-century innovations: Christiaan Huygens's pendulum (1656–57) and the anchor escapement (c. 1670). A long seconds pendulum, nearly a metre long, swings with a small arc, and enclosing it together with the driving weights in a tall wooden case protected the mechanism and created a new piece of furniture. London makers such as Ahasuerus Fromanteel, Thomas Tompion and Joseph Knibb set the pattern.
By the eighteenth century longcase clocks were made throughout Britain, the Netherlands, Scandinavia (the Swedish Mora clock), France (the Comtoise from the Franche-Comté), Germany and colonial America. Eight-day movements with two weights became standard in better clocks; thirty-hour clocks with one weight and a rope or chain were cheaper alternatives.
What to look for
- Winding holes in the dial: two (eight-day, going and striking) or none (thirty-hour, pulled up by a chain).
- Brass dials with applied chapter rings (earlier) versus painted iron 'white' dials (after c. 1770 in Britain).
- Moon-phase arches, date apertures, seconds dials and maker's name on the dial.
- Case woods and style: ebonised, walnut marquetry, lacquer, oak or mahogany; regional styles from London, Lancashire, Scotland or America.
- Whether the movement and dial match the case — 'marriages' are common.
Dating clues
- Square brass dials suggest c. 1670–1720; arched brass dials c. 1715–1790.
- Painted (white) dials were made by Birmingham dial-makers from about 1772.
- Comtoise clocks with repoussé pendulums are mostly nineteenth century.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
Read next:Anchor (recoil) escapementDeadbeat escapementAnchor escapement
Related records
Clocks · 1598–1603
Circular table-clock with calendrical and lunar indications made by Nicholas Vallin in London between 1598 and 1603.
Science Museum Group, London
Clocks · 1611
English iron lantern clock, with wheel balance, by John Holloway, Market Lavington, Wiltshire, England, 1611.
Science Museum Group, London
Clocks · 1630
Lantern clock by Francis Forman, England, 1630
Science Museum Group, London
Clocks · 1632–1640
Turret clock, England, 1632–1640
Science Museum Group, London
Clocks · 1645–1655
Balance-wheel brass lantern clock, with two driving weights and one counterweight, by Thomas Knifton, Cross Keys, Lothbury, London, England, 1645–1655.
Science Museum Group, London
Clocks · c. 1650
Lantern alarm clock, silver, by David Bouquet, circa 1650
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Clocks · 1650–1660
Lantern clock by Peter Closon, England, 1650–1660
Science Museum Group, London
Clocks · c. 1660
Longcase clock, c. 1660, English, made by Ahasuerus Fromanteel
Victoria and Albert Museum, London