- Museum number
- 1958,1006.2107
- Description
-
Wall clock; painted-iron case with an all steel movement; weight-driven with verge escapement and balance; count-wheel striking for hours only; alarm missing; phases of moon aperture.
- Production date
- 16thC-17thC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 13.62 inches
- Curator's comments
- The following text is the entry for this object from the unpublished catalogue of pre-pendulum clocks by John Leopold, former Assistant Keeper of Horology at the Museum. This information is unedited and should be used accordingly.
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PAINTED IRON WALL CLOCK.
Ilbert No. .
Bibliography.
Cat.Ilbert (1958) no.243.
SIGNATURE.
No signature or mark.
DESCRIPTION.
The clock is constructed almost entirely of steel.
Case and dial.
The case consists of the front pannel with the dial, the back pannel, the side doors, and the top and bottom plates. Vertical bars are riveted to the edges of the dial and the rear pannel and these are screwed to the bottom and top plates. Two cross straps, ending in the hinges for the side doors,are riveted to the rear pannel; the top one incorporates the suspension ring and the lower one carries the spurs.
The front pannel carries the spring-catches to lock the doors. This pannel has a large aperture for the hand; it is star-shaped to allow passage to the starwheel. At the top of the pannel is the aperture for the pendulum; at the bottom are two filled holes which are matched by holes in the front bar of the movement, and which may be associated with the alarm.
The top plate carries the spring to load the hammer, and the gallows for the balance. It also supports the bellstrap, which is sprung into rectangular holes. The bell, which has a cast extension to the top, is pinned to the bellstrap. The strap also carries a top piece in the shape of an inverted Y, with three flower-shaped ornaments.
The case has remains of paint. The back is black, the doors black with a yellow border. The front pannel has ornaments in dark and light green and in red; there are volutes in the corners and at the top corners of the chapterring, and a wreath in the upper part. The chapterring is white with black gothic numerals bordered inside and out by red bands. The hand has a large central disc with twelve holes for the peg to unlock the alarm; the disc is painted white with remains of arabic numbering for the holes 1-12. The disc has a copper pointer as indicator and opposite this a stell knob.
Movement.
General.
The movement is essentially a flat frame, but the bottom bar of the movement is underneath the bottom plate of the case, thus securing the movement to the case. The top bar of the movement is riveted to the centre bar, which gives the frame ridgidity.
The train wheels were made in two pieces (crossings and band separate). All wheels have three crossings, except the great wheels and the scape wheel which have four, and the hour-hand wheel which is solid. All train wheels run in brass bushes, except the rear pivot of the greatwheel of the striking.
Going train.
Train count:
6 ║ 64 66
── ║ ── ── 27 (x 2)
12-hour ← 36 ║ 6 6
Great wheel: cordwheel with face-click acting on the crossings.
Scapewheel: modern (pinion and arbor original). The gallows is attached to the top plate of the case; this part is original (the rivet was partly filed away to make room for the pendulum).
Hour-hand wheel: the wheel is secured to the bar by a spring-clip. There is a brass washer between wheel and bar. The arbor carries the starwheel for unlocking and the disc of the hand, this assembly being held friction-tight by a pin.
Striking train.
Train count:
6 ║ 48 60 50
── ║ ── ── ──
12-hour ← 39 ║ 8 6 5
Great wheel: 12 lifting pins. There is a cord wheel with face click acting on the crossings.
2nd wheel: double cam for overlift.
3rd wheel: stud on the band for locking.
Fly: heavy steel fly.
Hammer: lifted via tumbler piece, of which the stand is pinned to the bottom plate. The bell has an extension at the top and is pinned to the bell stand.
The rear bar carries the remain of a flat spring: this may originally have loaded the detend. The detend is now loaded by a spring pinned to the bottom plate.
Unwarned striking with unlocking off the starwheel, hammerlifting by the great wheel, overlift and indexing off the cam of the 2nd and locking on the 3rd wheel.
Alarm.
The entire mechanism is missing. The front bar has near the top a square plug, which constitutes the remains of the stadn for the scape wheel. In the bottom plate, near the edges, are two holes for the cord. There are holes in the top plate which are associated with the alarm, and the remains of a brass double spring to limit the excursions of the hammer. Two holes in the front bar, near the bottom, are presumably also associated with the alarm.
CONVERSIONS.
The holes in the top of the front pannel and in the top of the front movement bar show clearly that at one time this clock had a pendulum, swinging in front of the dial. A square hole in the centre bar, behind the present support for the scape wheel, shows where the support for the scape wheel was attached. In fact there is no indication that there originally was a balance at all: the off-set position of the second wheel of the going train may well be a carry-over from earlier practice.
It would appear, therefore, that there was no justification to convert this clock to balance. The conversion involved removing the original contrate wheel (in the position of the present scape wheel), the horizontal scape wheel and the short pendulum.
MEASUREMENTS.
Hight - 350 mm
Width - 98 mm (without the catches)
Depth - 145 mm
Movement: distance between top bar and bottom plate - 158 mm
distance between the vertical bars, going train - 41 mm
striking train - 26 mm
PERFORMANCE.
Going train: great wheel - 1 rev. in 2 hours.
escapement - 3,168 beats per hour.
Striking train: in 12 hours the great wheel makes 6.5 revs.
HISTORY AND PROVENANCE.
Ilbert collection. The clock is not mentioned in Ilberts ledgers and it is not known when or where he acquired it.
Presented by Mr.Gilbert Edgar C.B.E. in 1958; reg. CAI 2107.
COMMENTARY.
Although this clock was made in the traditional way (note particularly the construction of the wheels) it is quite a late example of the type, and it would appear to have had a pendulum from the beginning. Unusual is the way in which the bottom bar of the movement secures the bottom plate of the case. The fact that the hammer is pivoted in the plates of the case and the unconventional count for the great wheel of the going both suggests a fairly late date.
Took the bottom bar off: nothing under it.
The gallows is secured by a modern screw with a hexagon head.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY (Pauline Wholey – 2019)
Ilbert (1958) Auction cat. coll. Courtenay A. Ilbert, London, Christie, 6 7 November 1958.
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- Latest: 5 (July 2015)
- Acquisition date
- 1958
- Acquisition notes
- The Ilbert Collection of clocks, prints and other related material was destined to be sold at Christie's auction house on 6th-7th November 1958. As a result of the generous donation of funds by Gilbert Edgar CBE the sale was cancelled and the material purchased privately from the beneficiaries of the Ilbert Estate.NL1Ilbert's watches were then acquired with further funds from Gilbert Edgar CBE, public donations and government funds. These were then registered in the series 1958,1201.
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1958,1006.2107
- Additional IDs
-
Previous owner/ex-collection number: CAI.2107 (Ilbert Collection)
