
Victorian Brass Skeleton Clock
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Victorian Brass Skeleton Clock
About the Item
Skeleton clocks area among the most exceptional and intriguing timepieces ever made, and were designed to display as much of the working mechanism as possible. Often the result of the highest quality workmanship, skeleton clocks are actually some of the earliest clocks, some dating from the mid 16th Century as drum clocks. Popularized circa 1750 by the French, who produced wonderful spring driven antique mantle clocks, these time keepers became the favorite of the English circa 1820, when all the main centers of clock production, London, Liverpool and Birmingham began to make the most exceptional examples.
Features original winding key
Provenance:
Private collection
John Smith & Sons of Clerkenwell, London were at the forefront of skeleton clock making in the Victorian period. The business was founded circa 1844 in St. John's Square, Clerkenwell. Their workshophad its own brass foundry, clock case workshop and assembly areas for the various types of clocks produced as can be seen in an article printed in the Illustrated London News of 1851 entitled "Visit to a Clerkenwell Clock Factory." However, skeleton clocks were a significant part of their repertoire, and today, those clocks crafted by Smith of Clerkenwell are among the most highly regarded in the world, both for their artistic beauty and for their mechanical advancement.
- Dimensions:Height: 22.5 in (57.15 cm)Width: 14.5 in (36.83 cm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1865
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New Orleans, LA
- Reference Number:Seller: 29-63401stDibs: U1106278911182
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