Longcase clock by James Johnstoun, England, c. 1700

Summary — Victoria and Albert Museum

The marquetry on the clock case is of an arabesque design. On the base of the clock, however, the marquetry has been removed and then replaced, and missing sections have been painted in. The frieze and cross-grained mouldings on the hood are also replacements, as the mouldings are mahogany (the originals would have been in walnut) and the pattern of the frieze does not match the border around it. The slightly wider second dial and the decoration around the date aperture suggest a date c.1700. The weight driven, two train movement is mounted inside with a count wheel controlling the hour striking on a single bell. The inside count wheel is a transitional feature also pointing to a date of about 1700.

Physical description — Victoria and Albert Museum

Dial: Twelve inch square. Brass dial plate with matted centre, plain winding holes and square calendar aperture behind which is a silvered calendar ring to indicate day of the month. Dial plate and calendar aperture bordered with wheat-ear engraving. Twin cherubs with crown spandrels are screwed to the corners of the dial plate, silvered chapter ring and subsidiary seconds ring pinned at the back of dial plate. Minute divisions are set in from edge of chapter ring by a plain scale having Arabic five minute numbers and lozenge half quarter marks. Roman hour numerals. Quarter hour divisions with engraved half hour marks. Signed inside the minute divisions on the chapter ring between VII and V James Johnstoun and outside the divisions and the Arabic '30’ London . Seconds ring with its broad Arabic five seconds numerals occupies a considerable part of upper dial space between inside of chapter ring and top of hour hand. Dial attached to front plate by four dial feet pinned to the movement front plate. Hands: Steel hands with very little carving to surfaces. Movement: B-day, brass and steel, weight driven, two train movement. Hour striking on bell controlled by inside countwheel. Going train with recoil anchor escapement embracing 6½ teeth. Five pillar movement, each pillar having fins and a semi-circular knop. Pillars riveted to backplate, pinned at front. Scribe lines used in the laying out of the wheelwork present on outside of front plate. Movement plates proportioned to appear relatively high to the width as great wheels are mounted some way up in the movement. Collets where used to mount wheels on arbors, of double section profile: a semi-circular portion up against the wheel, then the parallel section of smaller diameter along the arbor. Arbors swell towards centres, pinion heads are short. Where visible without dismantling, wheels have scribe lines, one line immediately below the teeth, the other at base of semi-circular crossings. Fly is rectangular with cut away central portion and friction spring attached to vane; fly arbor profiled as other arbors. The pallets, directly mounted on pallet arbor without a collet, are comparatively small with slight pads. Hour wheel bridge of lenticular shape coming to a point at each foot. Steel work mostly plain. Dial: Early 18th century owing to size, twelve inches tending to supersede lesser sizes at this date. The Arabic minute numerals and half quarter marks on a band outside the minute divisions became common after ca.1690 and here, the width of this band is sufficient allow the split signature, suggesting a date post 1700. Furthermore, the spandrels thus employed appear to have come into use about 1700. Another, possibly later detail is the absence of ringed winding holes. Wheatear engraved borders can be seen as early as ca.1680-1685 but continue well into the 18th century. Hands: The combination of the piercing style and the virtual absence of a profile to the surfaces of hour and minute hands would not be out of place in the early 18th century. Movement: Remnants of earlier styles include the profiles of pillars, arbors and the scribe lines on wheelwork. A transitional feature between the 17th and 18th centuries is the inside countwheel; it would seem likely that a few years after this clock was made, rack striking would be become the norm. The double profile to the collets is representative of the next stage in their development that occurred during the 18th century and is therefore a later feature. The fly is unusual in shape but its arbor appears original. It would seem that the escapement is original, since the pallets are of a modest size, having slight pads, whilst the escape wheel collet conforms to others in the movement. The laying out scribe lines on the front plate are indicative of a handmade movement and may he seen occasionally on quite late clocks, usually provincial one-offs. Description and notes by Francis Brodie, c. 2008

Brief description — Victoria and Albert Museum

Eight day Longcase clock, inscribed ‘James Johnstoun London’, made about 1700, marquetry of walnut and other woods