The substantial six finned and latched two train bell striking movement with plates measuring 8.375 inches high by 6 inches wide cut with aperture for the escapement pallets at the rear, the five-wheel going train with anchor escapement incorporating inverted Y-shaped pallets regulated by one-and-a-quarter seconds pendulum incorporating a second false bob and regulation adjustment at lenticle height, the hour striking train with large diameter hammer pin wheel and internal rack gathered via a flag to the arbor behind the third wheel, the pullquarter repeat mechanism powered by a leaf spring and sounding a peel for each quarter on a graduated nest of three bells before releasing the hour strike train, the 12 inch square brass dial with subsidiary seconds dial and chamfered calendar aperture incorporating pin-hole adjustment to the very finely matted centre, within applied silvered Roman numeral chapter ring with stylised cruciform half hour markers and small Arabic five minutes beyond the minute track, with fine scroll pierced and chased steel hands and winged cherub and foliate scroll cast spandrels to angles set within a leafy herringbone engraved border interrupted with signature Thomas White, Londini fecit to the lower margin, the case with repeating leaf inlaid lip to the ogee cornice and foliate scroll pierced fret to frieze, over hinged front veneered with fine leafy trails to the frame of the glazed dial aperture and applied with three-quarter columns with crisply cast capitals and bases to the front angles, the sides with hinged doors inset with fine scroll pierced frets and with conforming quarter columns set against bargeboards at the rear continuing up past the frieze to meet the underside of the lintel, the trunk with concave throat moulding decorated with a central stylised scallop shell flanked by leafy strapwork infill and applied with generous volute scroll carved corbel ornaments to front angles, the 42 inch rectangular door centred with a brass bordered circular lenticle and veneered with three shaped triple-lined edged panels decorated with further symmetrical foliate strapwork designs within a figured walnut field, bordered by a conforming line-edged band of repeating leaves and half-round cross-grain edge mouldings, the surround fronted with further conforming scrollwork and the sides with twin triple-line edged panels within crossbanded borders, the plinth base with marquetry decorated cavetto top moulding over conforming shaped panel incorporating concentric designs to the foliate scroll decoration within leaf-banded scroll trail decorated borders, on cavetto moulded skirt base. 221cm (87ins) high, 55cm (20ins) wide, 27cm (10.5ins) deep.

Provenance:

The property of a private collector, acquired in Portugal.

Literature:

Dzik, Sunny and Still, Roger BENEATH THE DIAL, English Clock Pull Repeat Striking 1675-1725 pages 558-560.

Dzik notes that Thomas White was born in County Pembrook, Ireland in 1644 and trained as a clockmaker in Dublin (under John Turner) before moving to London in the early to mid 1670’s. He married in London in 1674 and was made a ‘free Brother’ of the Clockmakers’ Company in January 1683/4. Thomas White had a working association with Thomas Tompion taking-on the latter’s first address on Water Lane when Tompion moved to larger premises on the corner of Fleet Street in 1678. White is thought to have retired after vacating Tompion’s former premises by 1694 and probably died before 1700.

Of Thomas White’s work the present clock is one of only two clocks by him known. His other clock is an eight-day longcase clock (case sadly lost) incorporating full Tompion-type pull-quarter repeating illustrated in Evans, Jeremy THOMAS TOMPION, at the Dial and Three Crowns on page 52 (Figures 92 and 93).

The movement of the present clock is discussed in detail by Dzik and Still and is testament to the maker’s highly ingenuitive approach. The quarter-repeat work is particularly notable for the sophisticated economy of its design. Although there are some visual similarities with Tompion’s system (most notably the pivoted geared tooth sector to the activation arbor) White has devised a much-distilled mechanism by simplifying and refining elements. An example of this is the quarter pinwheel, which is reduced to three pins and mounted via a ratcheted wheel so the train remains stationary during pulling. The three quarter bells are all operated by each of these three pins via a single lever which, when drawn back, releases a series of hooks to the bell hammers causing all the bells to sound in sequence. The strike train is notable in that it requires enough facility in the train to allow for reasonable operation of the repeat work throughout the month. This is achieved by gearing with a large diameter hammer pin wheel. The rack is very finely made, with an exquisite rack hook, and is released after the quarters have sounded via a carefully worked S-shaped detent engaging with the strike train rack hook in a highly controlled manner.

The dial compliments the movement having particularly fine matting to the centre and well-sculpted hands. The chapter ring emulates Tompion but with slight additional flourishes to the half-hour markers; the ‘herringbone’ engraved border is also finely drawn and the scripted signature beautifully executed.

The case of the present clock is particularly fine with details such as the bargeboards at the rear of the hood rising past the frieze to meet the underside of the lintel, extensive use of frets, and crisp gilt brass column castings, being typical of examples made to house movements by Thomas Tompion. The carved volute scroll ornaments to the throat are notably rare embellishments only seen on the highest status examples including Tompion No. 275 - a walnut grande-sonnerie striking longcase clock believed to have been made for William III, circa 1696 (See Evans, Jeremy; Carter, Jonathan and Wright, Ben THOMAS TOMPION, 300 YEARS pages 492-93). The marquetry veneers, however, are very unusual for a longcase clock and depart from standard ‘Tompion’ practice who is not known to have decorated his clocks in this manner. When considering marquetry clocks in general, those veneered with arabesque/seaweed tend to have ‘all-over’ decoration to the front rather than in panels. Although the use of panels is known (see Cescinsky, Herbert and Webster, Malcolm English Domestic Clocks page 157) the actual shape of the those on the current lot is highly unusual in that the upper and lower margins incorporate convex shoulders rather than being of the simpler normal break-arch profile. This shape of panel, however, is often seen on contemporary case furniture including examples attributed to the workshops of the Royal cabinet maker Gerrit Jensen. Amongst such examples are two cabinets made by Jensen for the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth, and a kneehole desk in the Royal Collection at Windsor. A bureau on stand, exhibiting similar shaped panels to the fall (as well as triple-line stringing and foliate banded borders), is illustrated in Bowett, Adam English Furniture 1660-1714 page 217, Plate 7.43 and on dust jacket.

The individual high-quality approach to both the movement and case of the present clock is indicative of a clockmaker wanting to express his talent in a distinctive manner. The relative rarity of clocks by makers who were journeymen/associates of Thomas Tompion (such as Michael Knight) would suggest that he had quite a tight control over their work most likely to ensure that his status was not undermined. If this was the case with regards to Thomas White, then it would certainly account for extreme rarity of clocks signed by him. Indeed the Portuguese provenance of the present clock may provide a clue as to how such a high quality and individual quality clock came to be made and signed by White, as a clock made for immediate export would not ‘conflict’ with Tompion’s status in London

View page turning catalogue

Auction Details

Wednesday 13 September 2023 | 10.30am BST
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

Browse the auction
Sign up to email alerts

VIEWING:

• Viewing in Newbury: 

  • Sunday 10 September: 10am-3pm
  • Monday 11 September: 10am-4pm
  • Tuesday 12 September: 10am-4pm
  • Wednesday 13 September: from 8.30am