An extraordinary rustic tripod table clock
by Thomas Cole
Retailed by E. White of London
The circular green velvet-clad base supporting three equidistantly spaced brass imitation logs, from which the clock and its mechanism are suspended; housed within a brass bezel conformingly styled as naturalistic logs, the circular etched and engraved gilt dial with elegant blued steel hands, marked at 6 o'clock "E. White, 20 Cockspur St, London", having the hours marked in Roman numerals; the tapered two-tier movement has a six wheel train with five-spoke crossings between spotted plates, the upper section fixed by blued steel screws to the backplate, enclosing a Brocot-style deadbeat escapement incorporating rubies and train to the centre wheel, the pendulum of most unusual design styled as a lidded cauldron over a simulated fire. Complete with a glass dome and key. The front plate numbered “1637.”
London made, circa 1861
Thomas Cole, (1800-1864)
Son of Thomas Cole Snr, a Somerset clockmaker, his history and works are fully recorded in 'Thomas Cole & Victorian Clockmaking' by John B. Hawkins, published 1975, in Sydney. Known as a specialist in making decorative timepieces of the highest quality, Cole exhibited at the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in 1851; he warranted an 'honourable mention' in the Paris Exhibition of 1855 and the London 1862 Exposition International, where he was awarded a medal for 'excellence of taste and design'.
Hawkins discuss Thomas Cole's tripod clocks...
Category
19th Century English Antique Gilt More Clocks
MaterialsBrass, Ormolu, Bronze