American Federal Tall Case Clock, Benjamin Morris, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

View Similar Items

John Nicholl Federal Tall Case Clock

American Federal Mahogany Tall Case Clock, Silas Hoadley, CT, Circa 1820

Pennsylvania Cherry Tall Case Clock, Jedediah Weiss, Bethlehem

American Walnut Tall Case Clock by Solomon Gorgas

American Federal Grain Painted and Stenciled Tall Clock by Rufus Cole

Antique Colonial Mfg Co Beige Painted Tall Case Federal Style Grandfather Clock

Tall Case Clock

American Colonial Mfg Co. Mahogany Tall Case Clock

Painted Tall-Case Clock

English Tall Case Clock

Comtoise Morbier Tall Case Clock

English Oak Tall Case Clock

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 11

American Federal Tall Case Clock, Benjamin Morris, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

About the Item

The movement of this rather fine tall case clock is signed by Hilltown, Pennsylvania clockmaker Benjamin Morris. Working in Reading, Hilltown and New Britton, PA, Morris was a highly productive clock maker who is estimated to have made at least three-hundred tall clocks (Palmer). The hood is raised in a molded swan's neck pediment scrolling into deep floral rosette terminals backed by a toothed-sphere; three finials are raised on square plinths to equally divide the top, these urn forms culminating in a swirling flame top. The glazed arched door is joined with through-tenons, opening for reveal an eight-day painted dial inscribed "Benj. Morris / Bucks County" inside the Roman Numeral chapter ring beneath the complex pierced hands, the whole framed in fruit and foliage decorated spandrels beneath a moon-phase dial and faded globes. The false plate is impressed "WILSON", naturally being an English import, the seat board inscribed "1-37 / 299 3 / JTM". Perhaps most notable in the clock is the incredibly complex molding work stepping down and stepping up from the shaft; carved in two section, the undulating contrasting of cove and concave forms creates a highly distinctive and almost majestic transition between sections. The long door opens smoothly over original hinges. The back of the case is a single solid plank of poplar running the length; it is inscribed somewhat illegibly in graphite at eye level "Garvin (Gavin) …/ 1821", possibly the craftsman who executed the case for Morris. The entire case rests over splayed French feet, these bold and fitting for the overall form of the case. Entirely original and carefully preserved, the feet retain their original blocking inside, the triangular rear supports dovetailing directly into the rear foot facings. Condition Report: Surface is not original, but is quite early under later shellac. Many abrasions and scratches, as expected, but overall the surface is highly attractive and vibrant. Finials replaced and unbleached, the tiny plinth bases on right and left also replaced. Glass in the hood is replaced. Works are fully original, these untested and the cords jumbled. Dial face appears to be free of any inpainting, the moon-phase with significant chipping/flaking on all four rotations. Tip of hour hand is broken off. Lock does not function with the current key. All hardware is original (hinges, lock, knobs, etc.) with the exception of the keyhole escutcheon on the shaft door. Feet are original with some horizontal cracking; all remain very sturdy and strong - one block is absent but retained and we can easily have this restored into place upon request. We have 148 detailed images of this clock available upon request.

Dimensions:
Height: 96 in (243.84 cm)Width: 19.88 in (50.5 cm)Depth: 12 in (30.48 cm)
Style:
Federal (Of the Period)
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1820
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Minor fading. See condition notes.
Seller Location:
Shippensburg, PA
Reference Number:
Seller: 1401BSP18PG1stDibs: LU105901242610

More From This Seller

View All

French Empire Period Ormolu Bronze Mantel Clock of Ceres, circa 1815

Located in Shippensburg, PA

EMPIRE ORMOLU BRONZE FIGURAL MANTEL CLOCK OF CERES, GODDESS OF AGRICULTURE Movement by Etienne Tavernier; France, circa 1815 Item # 104HWG22Z A fine Empire period mantel clock with bun feet raising a rectangular base with a central portrait of Bacchus flanked by exquisitely chiseled motif of swirling foliage surmounted by a figure of the goddess Ceres grasping in her lowered hand a wreath woven with foliage and berries while in her garment she collects a bountiful harvest; she rests beside the clock tower with a framed lens opening to access the white enamel dial with black Roman numerals inscribed Etn. Tavernier set with Breguet style hands, raising an urn filled with fruits of the soil; against the tower rest the implements of labor, a shovel and flat rake. The movement is engraved "B". A significant clock movement maker, Etienne Tavernier (French, 1756-1839) is listed in Tardy's horology reference as working closely with the house of Abraham-Louis Breguet as well as providing clock movements...

Category

Antique 19th Century French Empire Mantel Clocks

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

French Empire Period Ormolu Bronze Mantel Clock of Ceres, circa 1815

$7,300

English Antique Red Chinoiserie Six-Bell Hanging Wall Clock ca. 1830

Located in Shippensburg, PA

A FINE LATE GEORGE III RED LACQUERED CHINOISERIE DECORATED SIX-BELL WALL CLOCK Stroud, England, circa 1830 dial engraved "Rich'd Camm / Stroud" with a chiming six-bell movement Ite...

Category

Antique 19th Century English George III Wall Clocks

Materials

Brass, Steel

English Antique Red Chinoiserie Six-Bell Hanging Wall Clock ca. 1830

$6,320 Sale Price

20% Off

Austrian Art Deco Bronze Sculpture Mantel Clock by Anton Grath circa 1925

By Anton Grath

Located in Shippensburg, PA

ART DECO FIGURAL MANTEL CLOCK Anton Grath (Austrian, b. 1881) patinated and burnished bronze over marble signed "Anton Grath" and foundry marking monogrammed "HW" within an "H" to right side of base Circa 1925 Item # 203AXG01W A powerful figural clock of a partially nude male and female raising offerings of a laurel wreath and an empty vessel, they face one another before the bold architectural display of the clock flanked by coned finials. They are loosely symmetrical in garb, the burnished bronze capes flowing gently around and before them. The circular face of the clock rests on a pair of sleeping lions over a textured bronze rectangular plinth with a burnished bronze bas-relief of a young woman lying in the grasses of a setting sun raised on a variated marble base. This model was acquired formerly at the Sotheby's, New York sale on April 14th 2008, [Sale N08427, lot 155, achieved $ 5,000 USD] and the patina was enhanced at some point in the last fourteen years to include the parcel-burnished highlights in the figures. The right side of the base includes the signature and a monogrammed foundry mark (HW within an H). A very fine period example. Artist Listings & Bibliography: *E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Vol. VI, Gründ, 2006, p. 592-593 *The Dictionary of Western Sculptors in Bronze, Mackay, Baron, 1977, p. 166 *Art Bronzes...

Category

20th Century German Art Deco Mantel Clocks

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Austrian Art Deco Bronze Sculpture Mantel Clock by Anton Grath circa 1925

$8,300

American Federal Mahogany “Martha Washington” Lolling Armchair ca. 1800

Located in Shippensburg, PA

AMERICAN FEDERAL INLAID-MAHOGANY LOLLING "MARTHA WASHINGTON" ARMCHAIR Massachusetts, ca. 1780-1800 purchased from Bernard and S. Dean Levy, Inc. of New York in 1966 Item # 401JNI25P...

Category

Antique 19th Century American Federal Armchairs

Materials

Upholstery, Mahogany

American Federal Mahogany “Martha Washington” Lolling Armchair ca. 1800

$6,000 Sale Price

20% Off

American Grain-Painted Corner Cabinet Cupboard, New England, circa 1805

Located in Shippensburg, PA

A VERY FINE AMERICAN GRAIN-PAINTED ONE-PIECE CORNER CUPBOARD New England, circa 1805 Item # 305PXF05C An incredibly fine one-piece corner cupboard formerly acquired at Sotheby's in 2013 for $ 15,000. The original and beautifully worn surface is incredibly lively with a rich texture in the symmetrical brush strokes with the natural rubbing through the paint from over two-hundred years of gentle handling. It is crafted in one piece from pine primary woods and poplar secondary woods and features a nine-light glazed upper door with beautifully molded astragals that opens with a replaced brass knob to reveal an interior divided with two fixed shelves. The lower portion of the cabinet is missing its knob and opens to reveal the single shelf that evenly divides out the space. And most attractive is the size, which is delightfully diminutive and allows it to be a part of any space without overwhelming the interior. An untouched treasure. Provenance: * Alan McDonough, Dover, Massachusetts * Sotheby's, New York, Important Americana...

Category

Antique 19th Century American Federal Corner Cupboards

Materials

Brass

American Grain-Painted Corner Cabinet Cupboard, New England, circa 1805

$16,500

China Trade Nautical Seascape of Ship “County of Caithness” (1897) by Lai Fong

Located in Shippensburg, PA

LAI FONG OF CALCUTTA Hong Kong/India, active 1875-1910 "County of Caithness" (1897) Oil on canvas signed lower right "Lai Fong / Calcutta / 1897" Item # 403ZMN11W A very fine oi...

Category