Clocks · Lantern clock
Lantern clock by John Bushman, London, c. 1710 – 1715
- Maker / attribution
- John Bushman (maker)
- Date
- c. 1710 – 1715
- Historical period
- Early Modern Horology (1600 – 1750)
- Country of origin
- England
- Place
- London
- Object type
- Lantern clock
- Materials / technique
- brass
- Dimensions
- Height 16.5 cm
- Stock no.
- SKU 388
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Howard Walwyn (SKU 388)
- Catalogue title (original)
- JOHN BUSHMAN. An exceptional miniature brass dial lantern clock (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Howard Walwyn Fine Antique Clocks (dealer), London (stock number SKU 388), this is a lantern clock by John Bushman, made in London, England, dated c. 1710 – 1715. 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 16.5 cm. The record is illustrated with 3 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
An exceptionally rare miniature 3 inch arched dial lantern clock by this well known Anglo-German clockmaker. The maker’s signature is set on a raised oval disc within the arch. There are raised masked head and foliate spandrels to each corner and there is an alarm disc within the matted centre. The exceptional steel fleur-de-lys hand appears to be original. The short duration movement has a verge crownwheel escapement and countwheel strike on the hour. There is an additional train of wheels for the alarm work. The clock is mounted on the wall via a hoop and two steel spurs from the rear. Date : circa 1700 – 1710 Height : 6 ½ in (16.5 cm) Width : 3 in (7.5 cm) Depth : 3 ¾ in (9.75 cm) including spurs * John Bushman was active in London from 1682 until 1725. A contemporary description is quoted by R.W. Symonds in his book ‘ Thomas Tompion, His Life and Work ’. “We reached London at dinner time, that is after 2 o’clock, and in the afternoon we drove to the celebrated clockmaker’s Buschmann. He is a German and had been established first in The Hague and then for many years in England; he makes as good clocks as Quare’s or even Tompion’s which are much more expensive …” HW5963
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.
Read next:FoliotAnchor (recoil) escapement
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