Clocks · Bracket clock
Small ebonised mantel clock by J. Dent, London, c. 1820
- Maker / attribution
- J. Dent (maker)
- Date
- c. 1820
- Historical period
- Precision & Scientific Horology (1750 – 1850)
- Country of origin
- England
- Place
- London
- Object type
- Bracket clock
- Materials / technique
- ebonised
- Dimensions
- Height 8 in (20 cm)
- Stock no.
- Product 438
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, P A Oxley (product 438)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Small ebonised mantel clock by J. Dent of London (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by P A Oxley (dealer), Wiltshire (stock number Product 438), this is a bracket clock by J. Dent, made in London, England, dated c. 1820. The Atlas places it in the Precision & Scientific Horology period (1750 – 1850) of its Clocks collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: ebonised. Recorded dimensions: Height 8 in (20 cm). The record is illustrated with 5 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 — P A Oxley
A very small and rare ebonised mantel clock by this famous Clockmaker. The 8 day duration single fusee movement of high quality craftsmanship, four plate pillars and anchor escapement. Also with a finely made pendulum and transportation fixing point. The arched silvered brass dial with Roman chapters, blued steel hands and makers name J. Dent, London surrounded with beautifully engraved flowers and foliage. The small ebonised case displays an Egyptian influence and is of architectural form with four acroteriaâs to each corner. The front elevation has brass canted corners and further brass inlay depicting foliage and flowers. Also with solid brass adjustable acorn shaped feet. Both the sides and rear door are glazed with further brass mouldings Note: Small mantel clocks by Edward John Dent from this period are very rare. It appears that he signed many of his watches at this period with just âJ. Dentâ, as it is shown on this clock. At this stage in his career he was making very fine Chronometers and in 1814 at just 24 years old he constructed a Standard Astronomical clock for the Admiralty. Also at this period he was working with makers such as Vulliamy and Barraud and in 1830 he formed a partnership with the famous John Roger Arnold. In 1831 a Dent Chronometer was taken aboard H.M.S Beagle to accompany Charles Darwin. Maker J. Dent of London
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:Verge escapement
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