Thomas Cole (Clockmaker) Table Clocks and Desk Clocks

A Fine English Tripod Table Regulator Clock by Thomas Cole, With Integral Thermometer and Barometer, Retailed by Hunt & Roskell, London Signed to the dial for the retailer ‘Hunt & Roskell, London.’ No. 1318 /38 The circular six-inch silvered dial with cast bezel, signed ‘Hunt & Roskell, London’, above Roman chapters and blued steel spade hands, set with a large subsidiary seconds dial below XII, the centre finely engraved with scrolling strapwork decoration. The steel winding square protruding through an engraved and shaped plate immediately below 6 o'clock with handset achieved by adjustment to the rear. The movement with tapered plates joined by cylindrical screwed pillars, a two-part backplate, a going barrel, and deadbeat escapement. The pendulum suspended from the apex of the tripod from a G-bracket, with plumb line above, fine regulation achieved by a sliding cylindrical weight on the rod, terminating in a heavy silvered spherical bob secured via Cole's pendulum-locking system. The case formed of three cylindrical rods set on a gilt and stepped circular base engraved with scrolling foliage, the recessed centre with a semi-circular glazed barometer with silvered register scale, blued steel hand and manually adjustable gilt recording hand. The tilted thermometer within an engraved and gilded surround. Below the tip of the pendulum is a beat scale resting on a bimetallic bar providing thermal compensation, the base resting on three adjustable gilt-metal levelling nuts. Retaining its original glass dome and brass winding key. England, Circa 1855. This fine and rare timepiece by Thomas Cole is a masterpiece of design. Described by Hawkins in 'Thomas Cole & Victorian Clockmaking' as “the first English table regulator for a gentleman’s library table,” Cole’s strut clock underwent over eight iterations before achieving a design that combined precision with extraordinary elegance. The use of a tripod to determine the optimal pendulum suspension point is just one of several ingenious mechanisms Cole employed. Three adjustable nuts serving as feet allow for effective levelling of the clock, while a plumb line and bob ensure precise vertical alignment. Relocating the winding square directly beneath the dial eliminates the risk of scratching the surface or damaging the hands, while the inclusion of a thermometer, angled at 45 degrees, effectively conceals the beat scale and pendulum locking mechanism. Ingeniously designed, the locking mechanism positioned just below the pendulum’s tip includes a beat scale resting on a brass bar that can be raised to secure the pendulum in place. This mechanism also provides thermal compensation through a bi-metallic strip, which automatically raises or lowers the bob in response to temperature fluctuations. Both inventive and aesthetically striking, this rare clock exemplifies the highly ornamental Victorian timepieces...

A Superb Coromandel-Veneered Mantle Clock The case constructed of very well-figured Coromandel giving the maximum amount of decorative effect, with gilt bronze accents; the plinth base of rectangular form, with everted stepped corners, and precisely chased gilt bronze figures, two representing Mercury-the god of travel and merchants with his winged helmet and coin purse in hand; the others representing Fortuna-the goddess of luck; the sides glazed, with mooresque arcaded pierced mounts enclosing a vase, in gilt bronze with overlapping palm trees above: the top of domed form with an octagonal platform, surmounted by an architectural dome, its engraved detail and structure reminiscent of Byzantine prototypes. The silvered chapter ring with Roman numerals for the hours, and within an arabesque dial divided into quadrants, with the key aperture at 6 o'clock. Below, the manual calendar, and a semi-circular thermometer. The dial signed by the retailer "Hunt & Roskell / London." The mechanism replaced with a one-year duration movement by Achille Brocot. English, circa 1860 A closely related clock, by Thomas Cole, though not bearing his signature, with a case of identical form and differing bronze decoration, previously with Butchoff. A third known coromandel-veneered example, also unsigned, is discussed by John...

A large oval strut clock By Thomas Cole The case constructed from gilt brass and designed to be as thin as possible, finely engraved throughout, of substantial oval size, and supported by means of a fold-out foot, the outer frame with floral engraved border, the silvered dial decorated in conforming manner and denoting the hours in Roman numerals with blued steel hands, its centre decorated in foliate patterns; the movement with four turned pillars, spring barrel, steel balance and lever escapement and signed to the backplate by the retailer, also denoted on the dial's cartouche "Thos Boxell, Brighton," and numbered to the rear. Circa 1860 Dimensions: H: 11 in / 28 cm Comparative Literature: Hawkins, J. B. Thomas Cole & Victorian Clockmaking. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 1975; p. 90 (item 28), illustrating a related large oval strut clock. Thomas Cole (1800-1864) Son of Thomas Cole Snr, a Somerset clockmaker, Cole is known as a specialist in making decorative timepieces of the highest quality. He exhibited at the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in 1851; he warranted an 'honourable mention' in the Paris Exposition universelle of 1855 and the London 1862 International Exhibition, where he was awarded a medal for 'excellence of taste and design'. Thomas Boxell of Brighton...