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Clocks · Clock

Clock, 1776–1825 (Finales del siglo XVIII- prin

DocumentedDocumented from the holding institution's catalogue record.
Maker / attribution
Unrecorded in source
Date
1776–1825 (Finales del siglo XVIII- principios del siglo XIX)
Country of origin
England
Place
Londres
Object type
Clock
Materials / technique
Madera de caoba Cristal Metal Madera de limoncillo Seda Bronce
Dimensions
Altura = 60 cm Anchura = 32,50 cm Profundidad = 18,30 cmPeana: Altura = 38 cm Profundidad = 28,50 cm Anchura = 34,50 cm
Accession / object no.
pages_Main_idt_7002_inventary_CE0271_table_FMUS_museum_MNR
Credit line
National Museum of Romanticism
Catalogue title (original)
Reloj (Spanish)

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Record summary

Held and catalogued by National Museum of Romanticism (object number pages_Main_idt_7002_inventary_CE0271_table_FMUS_museum_MNR), this is a clock, made in Londres, England, dated 1776–1825 (Finales del siglo XVIII- principios del siglo XIX). The Atlas places it in the Precision & Scientific Horology period (1750 – 1850) of its Clocks collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: Madera de caoba Cristal Metal Madera de limoncillo Seda Bronce. Recorded dimensions: Altura = 60 cm Anchura = 32,50 cm Profundidad = 18,30 cmPeana: Altura = 38 cm Profundidad = 28,50 cm Anchura = 34,50 cm. The record is illustrated with 1 photograph.

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

Catalogue description from National Museum of Romanticism

Reloj de sobremesa, tipo bracket inglés, en madera de caoba y guarnición de metal dorado. Caja prismática rectangular con arco de medio punto, perfiles moldurados y zócalo sobre pies ovoides. En el frente, decoración de diseño geométrico con motivos vegetales estilizados, en marquetería de limoncillo y columnas de fuste acanalado con basas y capiteles metálicos, cajeadas en las esquinas. Asas laterales decoradas con mascarones de animal. Debajo, ventanas rectangulares cubiertas con terciopelo granate y planchas caladas de metal dorado. Copete troncopiramidal sobre plinto con plancha metálica calada. Remates esféricos de metal, en los ángulos y sobre el copete. Esfera metálica blanca. Dial horario en números romanos y calendario con cifras arábigas, pintadas en negro. Dos bocallaves. En el anillo del calendario, inscripción: London. Ventana convexa con moldura de bronce, de apertura lateral derecha. Es una muestra de la categoría artística que alcanza el arte de la relojería en Europa a partir del siglo XVIII. La moda exigía que en todo gabinete, despacho, salón o dormitorio, uno o más relojes completasen el mobiliario, contribuyendo así al esplendor y lujo de residencias reales tanto como las pertenecientes a señores o adinerados. Los dos sistemas mecánicos que prevalecieron a lo largo de la historia de la relojería fueron el inglés y el francés. El modelo inglés, conocido como braket, se caracteriza por haber conservado el mecanismo del caracol para mantener la tensión regular en el desarrollo del muelle real, con lo cual se obligó a disponer de una máquina de estructura rectangular que había de alojarse necesariamente en una caja adecuada, de severa ebanistería y con suficiente capacidad interior, que se consagra en este modelo, sin apenas variantes durante más de dos siglos. Las ventajas del sistema francés sobre el modelo bracket inglés radican en el modelo de máquina redonda conocida como París, que permite la supresión del caracol con lo que se reduce el volumen y permite un mayor desarrollo decorativo de la caja.

Shown in the original language of the source catalogue. An editor-reviewed English translation has not yet been published; we do not publish machine translations as authoritative text.

Historical context

Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)

Harrison solves longitude; Mudge invents the lever; Breguet's Paris workshop defines the modern watch.

The age of the deadbeat escapement, compensated pendulums and observatory regulators. Domestic clocks spread through the middle classes: English longcase and bracket clocks, French gilt-bronze mantel clocks, Viennese Biedermeier wall clocks, Black Forest painted-shield clocks, and the first American shelf clocks.

Read the period in the timelineMore clocks from this periodEarlier: Early Modern Horology

Atlas type guide

Domestic clocks

A clock combines four systems: a source of power (falling weight, coiled spring, or later electricity), a gear train that divides time, an escapement and oscillator that regulate it (foliot, pendulum or balance), and an indicating system of dial and hands or a bell. Its history runs from the large iron weight-driven clocks of the late thirteenth century to Renaissance spring-driven table clocks, the pendulum revolution of 1656, the factory clocks of the nineteenth century and electric and quartz clocks of the twentieth.

Domestic clocks also reflect regional furniture and decorative traditions — English longcase and bracket clocks, French pendules, Viennese regulators, Black Forest and American shelf clocks — and therefore record changing tastes as much as technical progress.

What to look for

  • How the clock is powered: weights, spring barrel, fusee, electric coil.
  • The oscillator: foliot, short pendulum, long seconds pendulum or balance.
  • Whether it strikes: hour only (count wheel) or hours and quarters (rack striking).
  • The maker or retailer's name on dial and movement, and any factory trademarks.
  • Signs of alteration — replaced dials, converted escapements, 'married' cases.

Dating clues

  • Before 1656 clocks used foliots or balances; after, most domestic clocks have pendulums.
  • Anchor escapements spread after c. 1670; minute hands became common at the same time.
  • Factory production in America and Germany transformed prices after c. 1840.

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:Verge escapementAnchor (recoil) escapementFoliot

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