Clocks · Lantern clock
Lantern clock by Quare & Horseman, London, c. 1710 – 1715
- Maker / attribution
- Quare & Horseman (maker)
- Date
- c. 1710 – 1715
- Historical period
- Early Modern Horology (1600 – 1750)
- Country of origin
- England
- Place
- London
- Object type
- Lantern clock
- Stock no.
- SKU 422
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Howard Walwyn (SKU 422)
- Catalogue title (original)
- QUARE & HORSEMAN, N° 178. An exceptionally rare miniature lantern clock by this famous partnership. (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Howard Walwyn Fine Antique Clocks (dealer), London (stock number SKU 422), this is a lantern clock by Quare & Horseman, made in London, England, dated c. 1710 – 1715. The Atlas places it in the Early Modern Horology period (1600 – 1750) of its Clocks collection. The record is illustrated with 4 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 lantern clock by this famous partnership. The short duration movement retains its original crown wheel verge escapement and alarm train. The brass top plate of the movement extends at the back to act as a wall hanging hoop and it has its original spurs at the base. The 3 ½ x 5 inch arched brass dial has winged cherub corner spandrels and a raised arched plaque at the top for the maker’s signature which is set above a central bust. Within the matted dial centre behind the blued steel single hand, there is a Tudor Rose engraved alarm disc. The clock is scratch numbered 178 to the back of the arch dial plate and the birdcage movement has detachable brass doors to each side. Height : 5 in (12.75 cm) Width : 3 ½ in (9 cm) Depth : 7 in (17.75 cm) including hoop and spurs * Daniel Quare like his great rival Thomas Tompion was not only an important clockmaker but also a very successful businessman. They did not only make grand longcases and table clocks for their wealthy clients, they also produced a small number of lantern clocks of various dimensions either for the servants quarters of their owners or some as travelling or pantry alarm timepieces. This miniature alarm timepiece is in wonderfully original condition and is a rare survivor. HW6000
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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