A Strut Clock in The Manner of Thomas Cole by Howell, James & Co.

A one of a kind english twin fusee carriage clock by James Moore French. The eight day movement has a large English jewelled level escapement with compensated bimetallic balance. The movement is wound and set through a round glazed door at the back and can be regulated from the outside as the fast/slow arm extends through the back of the case with rack striking the hour and half hour on blued steel gong with trip repeat. The gilt dial is signed as is th back plate of the movement, the centre of the dial is engraved with foliate scroll work with a roman chapter and breguet style moon hands. The unusual case of case bronze in a rococo revival style is finely chased with fluted sides flanked by Cariatids with a swag of fruit and flowers strung between them, th handle is formed of two dolphins. James Moore French was born in 1781 in County Antrim, Ireland. He was the son of Dr Hugh French and Sarah (née Arundel) French who married his father in 1763 and died in 1783, two years after James’s birth. In 1784, the year after Sarah’s death, Dr Hugh French married a widow named Judith Woodward who was to raise the young James French as her own, alongside his own and his half siblings. As a young man, James French moved from Ireland to London, where he worked with a relative, Peter Moore...

An aneroid barometer and timepiece clock movement in an unusual ebonised oak case in the form of a Caduceus (the staff of Hermes or a herald). With...

A very stylish late nineteenth century desk clock with integrated compass, reminiscent of the Industrial series of clocks by Andre Guilmet. The eight day movement governed by a cylin...

A desk clock in the shape of an Egyptian obelisk made by LeCoultre with an 8 day movement in the base, a crisp silvered dial and gilded numerals and batons set beneath a perspex obelisk. The black lacquered base has gilt mounts that continue the theme and repeat on all four sides. This is an extremely handsome small clock ideal as a gift or use as a desk clock, the dial is visible through the obelisk, the fine fully jewelled LeCoultre eight day movement is wound from the base, dating from the 1960's this mid century clock...

Early Victorian Strut clock in the style of Thomas Cole. Gilded frame with engraved scroll work, oval beaded bezel surrounding a beautiful e...

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...

Large beautifully cut and engraved ormolu English Victorian strut clock in the manner of Cole. Silvered dial with engine turned centre with beaut...

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...