An Exceptional Early English Fusee Carriage Clock Attributed to Thomas & James Ferguson Cole
London, circa 1833–1838
An exceptional early English fusee carriage clock, attributable to Thomas Cole and his brother James Ferguson Cole, two of the most important and innovative English clockmakers of the nineteenth century. Although unsigned by the brothers themselves, this clock can be confidently attributed on stylistic, technical, and constructional grounds, as documented by John Hawkins in The Hawkins Pictorial Survey of Cole Clocks, Part I.
This example represents a Phase I, Type I Cole carriage clock, placing it among the very earliest surviving carriage clocks produced by the Cole brothers. The design and engraving are characteristic of Thomas Cole, while the movement is the work of his elder brother James Ferguson Cole, whose bespoke mechanisms are widely regarded as technically superior and highly individual.
The clock is fitted with an eight-day single-chain fusee movement with English lever escapement, the backplate numbered 2020. Hawkins illustrates an almost identical backplate on p. 400. Of particular importance is the distinctive reinforcing bridge to the mainspring, a hallmark of early James Ferguson Cole movements. This bridging system was designed to provide additional strength and depth to the mainspring in these miniature fusee clocks...
Category
1830s Antique English Clocks