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Mahogany and brass mounted striking table clock with silvered dial by John Ellicott — view 1 of 4
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Clocks · Bracket clock

Mahogany and brass mounted striking table clock with silvered dial by John Ellicott

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
John Ellicott (maker)
Date
c. 1770
Country of origin
England
Object type
Bracket clock
Materials / technique
brass, mahogany
Dimensions
Height 44.5 cm
Stock no.
Product 2629
Credit line
Dealer listing, The Antique Clock Company (product 2629)
Catalogue title (original)
MAHOGANY AND BRASS MOUNTED STRIKING TABLE CLOCK WITH SILVERED DIAL – JOHN ELLICOTT (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by The Antique Clock Company (dealer), Dorset (stock number Product 2629), this is a bracket clock by John Ellicott, made in England, dated c. 1770. The Atlas places it in the Precision & Scientific Horology period (1750 – 1850) of its Clocks collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: brass, mahogany. Recorded dimensions: Height 44.5 cm. 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 — The Antique Clock Company

This stunning, yet elegant mahogany striking table clock boasts the highest quality workmanship associated with this fine period of clockmaking excellence. A truly stunning mahogany case would not look out of place amongst the highest echelons of society, with the beautifully silvered dial and comprehensive movement to match. This is a wonderful clock that would complement any collection. Movement : The substantial 8-day spring driven clock movement runs two fusees for the going train and hourly strike train striking a single bell to the top of the movement with original verge escapement. The back plate of the movement is beautifully engraved with foliate scrolls and signed “Ellicott, London”. Case : The sophisticated mahogany clock case is a real statement within itself. The clock benefits from glazed side viewing panels to both sides with lockable glazed doors to both the front and back of the clock, with a full front door and bezel, has an inverted bell top, surmounted by a brass handle with lacquered brass foliate-cast mounts and surmounted by a brass handle. The front door is set with brass foliate cast blind frets above the moulded base mounted on brass block feet. Dial : The gilt brass silvered dial plate measuring 6 ¾” square, including the strike/silent lever to the top left of the dial plate, which is also engraved “Ellicott” to the bottom left and “London” to the bottom right. The silvered clock dial features roman numerals with Arabic five minute markers with finely shaped original blued steel hands. John Ellicott – B.1706 – D.1792 John Ellicott born in 1706, was an excellent maker and was elected to the Royal Society in 1738. His house in St John Hackney was fitted up as an observatory and was visited by many of the famous scientists of his time. He made very thin watch movements and paid great attention to detail. His reputation brought him to the attention of the Royal Court and he was elevated to the position of Clockmaker to King George II, later to George III and designed public clocks, including that of the London Hospital. He died in 1772 and was followed by his son, Edward, who became Master of the Clockmakers Company in 1834. Height: 17 ½ ” or 44.5cm (Top of handle)

Provenance

Private collection – U.K.

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

Bracket, table and spring-driven clocks

Spring-driven clocks freed timekeeping from the hanging weight. The coiled mainspring, documented from the fifteenth century, made portable table clocks possible; to even out its declining force, makers used the fusee, a conical pulley connected to the barrel by a gut line or chain. Renaissance table clocks from Augsburg and Nuremberg — drum-shaped, square or tower-shaped in gilt brass — were luxury scientific objects, often with astronomical dials and alarms.

After the pendulum, English makers developed the bracket clock: a wooden case with a carrying handle, a short pendulum with a verge escapement, and often repeating work to sound the hours on demand at night. Later examples use the anchor escapement. In the nineteenth century, 'table clock' became a broad term for spring clocks of every nationality.

What to look for

  • A fusee in the movement (cone-shaped pulley) and the type of line — gut or chain.
  • Verge escapement with a short bob pendulum, often with a decoratively engraved backplate.
  • Repeat cords or buttons that make the clock strike again on demand.
  • Gilt-brass engraved cases and horizontal dials on Renaissance pieces.
  • Case shapes: inverted bell, bell top, break-arch, lancet or balloon.

Dating clues

  • Drum and tower table clocks: c. 1520–1650.
  • Ebony veneered English bracket clocks with verge escapements: c. 1670–1800.
  • Engraved backplates were usual on English clocks until c. 1800, then generally plain.

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:Anchor (recoil) escapement

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