- Museum number
- 1989,0914.1
- Description
-
Weight-driven chamber clock; posted-frame movement with four cylindrical feet and hinged iron doors; original bell-straps have spring-loaded lugs to retain the domed top which is now missing; all the finials are modern; gilt-brass dial-plate with applied moulding around the outside; applied silvered-brass chapter-ring with circle of 12 touch-pins surrounding the Roman hours I-XII and Arabic hours 13-Z4 with star half-hour marks; alarm-setting disc with Roman hours I-XII, central area engraved with foliate scrolls, stag, leopard, horse and gryphon holding halberd; lower half of dial-plate engraved with two stylised sea-horses supporting shield with arms of Russdorfer of Bavaria; bottom right-hand corner with punched maker's mark and town mark of Munich; steel hand a modern replacement; steel movement with four square-section corner pillars screwed to the top and bottom plates; two-wheel going-train, verge escapement, crown wheel verge and balance all replaced; striking train for hours only with count-wheel; entire alarm mechanism, with exception of setting disc, modern reconstruction.
- Production date
- 1575-1600
- Dimensions
-
Height: 54 centimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
-
- 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- The following text is the entry for this object from the unpublished catalogue of pre-pendulum clocks by John Leopold, former Assistant Keeper of Horology at the Museum.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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WALL CLOCK WITH MARKS OF VEIT SCHAUFFEL, MUNICH.
Purchased from Mr.Alfred Seckel, Pasadena, California, USA, $ 45,000.
Bibliography.
Auction cat. Sotheby's, London, 15th Dec.1983, lot 221 (£ 3960).
West (1985) 43 (this clock coll.George Hamburger, Sidney, and thought
to be by one of the Kliebers).
SIGNATURE.
Two punchmarks in the lower right hand corner of the dial: VS over a shovel (= Veit Schauffel) and a Monk's head (= Munich).
DESCRIPTION.
Case.
The "case" consists of iron sheets attached to the movement. The top and bottom plate are now screwed to the corresponding movement plates, each with four modern screws. The bottom plate was probably always attached this way, but the top plate was probably held by the pins which also secure the spider. Top and bottom plate have each three slots at front and back to hold the lugs of the back and of the dial.
The door on the sides are also made of iron, with profiled borders rivited to the edges. They are pivoted in the top and bottom plate, and cannot be removed without dismantling the movement. Both have spring catches, which act upon pins in the two front pillars of the movement. The left hand door is a replacement.
The plates at top, bottom and back and the doors have been painted black on both sides.
Four armed spider pinned over the tops of the pillars. Each arm has a spring catch on the inside, which will originally have held a decorative dome over the bell. The massive bell is original but is now held by a recent bolt and nut. A top bracket covers the nut. There are recent steel finials at the corners (these sit loose on the ends of the pillars) and at the top (screwed).
Dial.
The dial plate is a brass plate held by lugs at top and bottom into slots in the top and bottom plate of the case (the centre lug at the top lost when a hole was cut for the pendulum conversion). Profiled strips are riveted to the edges. The brass chapterring is pinned to the dial plate and is divided on the outer ring I XII with half hour and quarter hour marks, and on the inner ring 13 24 with half hour marks. A profiled ring is riveted to the outer edge of the chapterring and just within this twelve touch knobs are riveted, that at XII being larger and pointed.
Within the chaperring is the manually adjustable alarum disc. It is divided I XII; its centre is engraved with scrollwork containing a hart, a lynx, a horse and a griphon holding a halberd.
Above the chapterring the dialplate is engraved with scrollwork, and below it with foliage containing two horse like creatures holding a coat of arms.
The dialplate and the outer edge of the chapterring are gilded. The remainder of the chapterring and the alarum disc are now silvered, but remains of gold in deep portions show that these parts originally were also gilded.
The blued steel hand is recent.
Movement.
Posted frame movement, entirely constructed of steel.
The frame consists of two plates joined at the corners by four pillars, srewed top and bottom. The pillars have simple bases and quatrefoil capitals. The pillars, the nuts and the holes in the plates all have count marks.
The going and striking train are pivoted in three bars, in the conventional manner. All trainholes are bushed in brass (some several times).
All wheels have four crossings and champhered bands, except the dial wheel which is solid. All wheels (except the later scape wheel and the alarum wheel) have their teeth individually marked. All train wheels and pinions squared onto their arbors and pinned, except the scape wheel (which is later) and the pinion of the fly (which is solid wityh the arbor).
Going train.
Traincount:
30 ║ 72 90
── ║ ── ── 27 (x 2)
12 hours ← 72 ║ 6 5
Greatwheel: steel pulley with 36 ratchet teeth. The pipe of the pulley is now held by a spring washer in a groove in the arbor, but the arbor has a hole where originally a pin served this purpose.
The pinion of the second wheel is squared onto the arbor like the others, but this is a replacement. The original pinion was bigger (prob. 8), and the wheel was planted to the right of its present position, as can be seen by two holes filled with steel plugs outside the present pivotholes (see commentary).
Scapewheel later, though its arbor may be original. Balance, staff and suspension all recent, as are the banking pins.
Dialwheel is friction tight on it's arbor; the unlocking star of 12 and the disc for unlocking the alarum all recent. The hole in the bar has a very large brass bush
Striking train.
Traincount:
64 ┌ 64 100
── │ ── ───
16 ┤ 8 4
│
8 ║ ┘
── ║
countwheel ← 78 ║
Greatwheel: steel pulley with 36 ratchet teeth, constructed like that of the goiung train and with a similar pinhole in the arbor.
Second wheel: 8 hammer lifting pins.
Third wheel: single cam for overlift.
Fly: pinion is a lantern of 4 cut into the arbor. Heavy, four winged fly mounted with a ratchet wheel of 6; L shaped arm for locking squared and pinned to the arbor (L shaped end repaired in brass).
Countwheel: internally cut teeth and curved raised crossings. The wheel is secured by a (brass) slotted spring; its post is squared into the bar and secured by a nut on the inside.
The hammer is lifted by a separate lifting piece which trips the hammer tail at right angles. The hammer strikes the inside of the bell.
Steel striking detents: unlocking arm with nag's head (and later brass spring), overlift locking arm and indexing arm (now scewed to the arbor, originally pinned) loaded by a later brass spring.
Alarum train.
Entirely reconstructed. The present wheel has 17 teeth.
PERFORMANCE.
Going train: greatwheel 1 rev. in 5 hours.
escapement now 2332.8 beats per hour.
In 24 hours the greatwheel of the going train makes 4.8 revs; 4.8 revs of the greatwheel of the striking train produces ca.154 strokes, which is slightly less than the 156 required, but sufficiently close for the striking not to get out of synchronisation.
The drop of the weight is ca.20 cm per rev. or ca.1 m per 24 hours: in most positions the clock would therefore easily go for 2 days.
MEASUREMENTS.
Hight (without the finial) 430 mm
Width (without the handles of the doors) 196 mm
Depth (without the hand) 198 mm
Movement: distance between the plates 273 mm.
CONVERSIONS.
The description in the auction catalogue of 1983, which has includes a picture, helps to establish the history of this clock.
At some time before 1983 the decorative dome, one of the doors, the hand and all the finials were lost, as was the entire alarum-mechanism; the clock had been converted to pendulum, which was positioned in front of the dial. The door and the hand had been replaced, but no further restoration had taken place. It seems that the bell was still attached in the orginal way (pinned through a slot).
The photograph in West (1985) shows that by this time the clock was in the condition in which it entered the Museum. The present finials had been added; the pendulum had been removed and the train re-converted to balance. Presumably at the same time the scapewheel was replaced, the pinion of the second wheel of the going train replaced by a smaller one, and the alarum train reconstructed. The hole at the top of the dial had been filled by brazing, which destroyed much of the gilding. The present construction for the bell also seems to date from this restoration.
PROVENANCE
In December 1983 sold at auction in London.
In 1985 coll. George Hamburger, Sidney, Australia. The clock was then already restored to its present condition.
Subsequently coll. Alfred Seckel, Pasadena Cal., U.S.A.
Purchased from Alfred Seckel in 1989; reg.1989,9 14,1.
COMMENTARY.
The identification of the punchmarks is certain, because they match those on Veit Schauffel's masterpiece clock of 1554, which is additionally signed (Frick coll. New York; Maurice [1976] fig.152). The shovel in the personal mark is another indication of the name: Schaufel = shovel. The monk's head erased is the townmark of Munich: compare no. .
Veit Schauffel was made a master in the corporation of blacksmiths and locksmiths of Munich in 1554, and worked for the Dukes of Bavaria until 1570. In 1571 he was came under supicion of Protestantism; when examined he said he had come into contact with this in Nuremberg, which suggests that he may have learned the trade there. Apparently as a result of this Schauffel left Munich but returned in 1574; he is last mentioned in 1586. In addition to the present clock and the masterpiece clock (a so called Metzger type clock) two watches by this maker are known: Louvre, Paris, and Stadtmuseum, Munich (Maurice [1976] 104 5, figs 152, 429; Verzeichniss [1989 91]
The ornament under the chapterring resembles that of the dome of the masterpiece clock. The arms are those of the Russdorfer family of Bavaria.
The second wheel of the going train was replanted when the pinion was altered. The present distance between the centres of great and second wheel is 74.5 mm; with a pinion of 8 (which is a likely number for a wheel of 72) this distance would have been 76.4 mm, which accords well with the distance to the filled hole.
The very large bush for the hole of the dial wheel shows traces that it originally was square. It is very likely therefore that this hole accomodated a fixed post secured by a nut on the inside, similar to the construction for the countwheel.
Both trains of this clock, and particularly the striking one, show a greatly increasing ratio as the train progresses, characteristic of high quality work (p. ).
It is unusual to find a maker's mark on a weight driven clock, but perhaps this was more common practice in Munich than elsewhere. For another weight driven wall clock fully marked with the monk's head see: Stolberg (1968/69) and Stolberg (1969/70). This clock, which lacks the dial and is marked on the movement, is by Andreas Sonntag, mentioned from 1602 (Maurice [1976] 134).
Distances between great and 2nd going.
Distance at present: 74.5 mm
Distance originally: 76 mm
In the Sotheby sale the clock was listed as "other properties".
In 1983 the clock cost £ 3960 + 10% + VAT on 10% = ca. £ 4400.
In 1989 we will have paid ca.£ 22000
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BIBLIOGRAPHY (Pauline Wholey – 2019)
West (1985) - D.D.West, `An antiquarian Australian', Clocks 8 no.2 (August 1985) 43-46.
Auction cat. Sotheby's, London, 15th Dec.1983, lot 221 (£ 3960).
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- Latest: 3 (Oct 2016)
- Acquisition date
- 1989
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1989,0914.1
