Clocks · Lantern clock
Lantern clock by Carter, London, c. 1695
- Maker / attribution
- Carter (maker)
- Date
- c. 1695
- Historical period
- Early Modern Horology (1600 – 1750)
- Country of origin
- England
- Place
- London
- Object type
- Lantern clock
- Materials / technique
- brass
- Dimensions
- Height 19 cm
- Stock no.
- SKU 527
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Howard Walwyn (SKU 527)
- Catalogue title (original)
- CARTER. A rare William and Mary Third Period miniature brass lantern clock. (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Howard Walwyn Fine Antique Clocks (dealer), London (stock number SKU 527), this is a lantern clock by Carter, made in London, England, dated c. 1695. The Atlas places it in the Early Modern Horology period (1600 – 1750) of its Clocks collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: brass. Recorded dimensions: Height 19 cm. The record is illustrated with 2 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 — Howard Walwyn
A rare William and Mary Third Period miniature brass lantern clock in wonderfully pristine condition. The maker’s signature Carter is engraved to the dial centre below XII and London is set above VI, the rest of the dial centre being filled with very finely engraved leaves and flowers. The delicate chapter ring has sword hilt half hour markers and well engraved Roman numerals. The foliate frets are engraved to the front and sides, and are rectangular in form, a typical feature on miniature Third Period lantern clocks made in London. The well-shaped steel hand is probably original as are the bell, the bell strap, the side doors and the alarm disc which is engraved with Arabic numerals. The original crownwheel escapement has a short bob which swings at the back of the case. The steel hoop and spurs also appear to be original, and both the going and the alarm trains have ropes pulled by old brass cased weights. The original alarm work is mounted inside on the steel back plate. Height : 7 ½ in (19 cm) * Thomas Carter was born circa 1676, and was working in his own London workshops with a number of apprentices until the early 1700s. Early miniature lantern clocks in such original condition are a real rarity today. References : Brian Loomes, Clockmakers of Britain: 1286 – 1700 , p.109 Brian Loomes, Lantern Clocks & Their Makers , pp.447-448
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
Lantern, chamber and Gothic clocks
Domestic weight-driven clocks were made in southern Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Flanders from the fifteenth century. These 'Gothic' or chamber clocks have an open iron frame with corner posts, a verge escapement controlled by a foliot or balance wheel, and often an alarm or hour striking on a bell mounted above.
In England the lantern clock appeared around 1600: a brass posted-frame clock with a bell on top under decorative frets, hung on a hook or set on a wall bracket. After about 1658 many were converted to pendulum control, so originality of the escapement is a key question for any surviving example.
What to look for
- Iron (continental) or brass (English) posted frames with turned corner pillars and finials.
- A single hour hand — minute hands are rare before the pendulum era.
- Evidence of conversion: plugged holes, replaced escapement wheels or later pendulums.
- Fret designs and engraving on the dial centre, which help date English lantern clocks.
Dating clues
- Continental Gothic chamber clocks: c. 1450–1650.
- English lantern clocks: c. 1600–1720, with provincial examples later.
- Short 'bob' pendulum conversions after 1658; long pendulums with anchor escapement after c. 1670.
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.
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