George I Repeating Table Clock by William Webster I
A George I repeating table clock by William Webster I, circa 1720, double fusee movement with verge escapement and pull repeat on six bells, striking the hour on a single bell, the silvered main dial with matted centre and mock pendulum aperture beneath subsidiary calendar, strike/ silent, and six bells to one bell subsidiary dials within gilt relief spandrels in an ebonised bell-top glazed case of typical form with a brass swing handle to the top and brass mouldings and foliate grilles to all sides, the dial and the richly engraved backplate each signed 'Wm Webster exchange Alley London', 16.34 in. high (with handle raised), 9.25 in. wide, 6.50 in. deep. Provenance: gifted to Abigail Byzant as a wedding present, 1730, thence by descent to Ernest T. Tennant, Aberavon, Wales, 1927 (information from a previously-prepared history of the clock detailing the various stages of its ownership from 1730 to 1927 passed to a. Bowlt upon his purchase of the clock in 1960), L.H. Allen Pratt (information from another note on the history of the clock given to a. Bowlt after his purchase of the clock), Stephenson & Alexander, Chartered Surveyors and Auctioneers, Cardiff, 9 and 10 November, 1960, sold to a. Bowlt. Other notes: a comprehensive overhaul of the clock in 2008 by Phillip Gale, clockmaker in St Austell, Cornwall, included reinstatement of the verge escapement, reversing a previous conversion to a recoil escapement and associated modifications, together with replacement and repair of other parts and cleaning of the movement and dial. (Mr Gale's invoice detailing his work is available for inspection.)
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- Spandrel - An architectural term that in horology refers to the triangular ornamental decoration in the corners of of the dial plate. The spandrels are usually of cast brass and may be additonally chased and engraved. On painted dial clocks the spandrels are also usually painted.
- Foliate - Decorated with leaves or leaf-like forms.
- Matted - For decorative purposes the centre exposed brass area of a dial clock was often matted. this practice, dating from the second half of the 17th century was produced by hammering the brass with a single or multi-pointed punch, by rolling the brass or by etching the brass with acid.
The process creates a fine granulated surface in which the light is refracted in different directions and so was more pleasing to the eye than the flat brass surface. - Pendulum - The pendulum was discovered around 1602 by Galileo Galilei, and was adopted for time keeping by the Dutch mathematician and natural philosopher, Christiaan Huygens, who excelled in astronomy, physics, and horology.
The pendulum comprises a metal rod usually of brass or steel with a metal disk, known as a bob, at the end. The movement of the pendulum is driven by weights or a spring, and as a pendulum swings in a regular arc, it was found accuracy could be controlled to within a few seconds a week.
Timekeeping can be adjusted by changing the height of the bob on the rod, making the pendulum either swing slower or faster.
The disadvantage of the pendulum was that changes in temperature also changed the length of the pendulum, interfering with the accuracy of the clock, and so in the 18th century two types of mercurial pendulums were invented which countered the movement in the steel rod.
The pendulum was the world's most accurate timekeeping technology until the invention of the quartz clock, regulated by a quartz crystal, in 1927. - Verge Escapement - A verge escapement is an early mechanical escapement used in clocks and other timekeeping devices. It is an early form of the escapement mechanism, which is used to regulate the movement of the hands of a clock or watch. The verge escapement consists of a vertical shaft called the verge, which is mounted on the clock's main plate. Attached to the verge are two pallets, which engage with the teeth of the escape wheel. As the escape wheel turns, the pallets alternately lock and release it, allowing the movement of the clock to be regulated. The verge escapement was widely used in early mechanical clocks, but it was eventually replaced by the more accurate and reliable anchor escapement.
- Fusee - The fusee movement was used in clocks and pocket watches from the mid 17th century. The fusee is a cone shaped drum within the works that is linked to the barrel of the spring, usually by a length of chain.
As the mainspring loses its tension over time, the cone shaped barrel compensates for this by increasing the tension, by pulling the mainspring tighter, thus ensuring the time remains constant.
Use of the fusee in clocks was superseded by the "going barrel" in the mid 19th century and for pocket watches at the beginning of the 19th century.
The fusee continued to be used in marine chronometers until the 1970s. - Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
- Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
- Date Aperture - A date aperture is a cut out section in the face of a watch or clock, displaying the day of the month.
- Back Plate - On many types of clocks, the movement operates between two plates, usually made of brass, one at the back, and the other at the front, which forms a mount for the dial.
On English bracket, mantle and table clocks the backplate was often visible through a glass door or panel from the late 17th century, and could be profusely engraved with scrolling decorations, flowers, foliage, birds, and figures. The engraving could also include the maker’s name.
The amount of engraving reduced and became simpler as the 18th century progressed, and by 1800, had been reduced to a border, often with the maker's name in the centre. By the early 1800s all decoration had ceased, and only the maker's name was added, and by the Victorian era, most bracket, mantle and table clocks had no engraving.
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