Robert Smith Mahogany Longcase Clock, London, 18th Century

Robert Smith, Upper Shadwell, London, late 17th and 18th…
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Robert Smith, Upper Shadwell, London, late 17th and 18th century mahogany longcase clock. Twelve inch brass dial plate with wheat ear border engraving, Indian mask spandrels to the corners, ring turned date and winding apertures, applied subsidiary seconds dial, engraved chapter ring with fleur-de-lys half hour markers and 7½ minute sword hilt indications, dolphin spandrels to the break arch and maker's signature boss. Fine 8 day time and strike movement with inside count wheel, five finely turned and finned pillars with original London style brass cased weights and brass faced pendulum bob. Dial and movement circa 1700. The case with serpentine moulded trunk door and matching base panel, flanked by fluted cantered corners. The break arch dental moulded hood with fluted columns and Doric brass capitals, circa 1760. Robert Smith of London is listed active in the Clockmakers Company circa 1697. 203 cm high, 49.5 cm wide, 24 cm deep

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  • Chapter Ring - A separate metal plate on the face of a clock, on which the numerals for the hours and sometimes parts of the hours, are displayed, usually wheel shaped and sitting on top of the dial plate. The chapter ring is often a feature of the clock and can be silvered or enamelled to stand as a contrast to its background. The hours are usually shown in Roman numerals, although in the late 19th and earlt 20th century, Arabic numerals became fashionable.
  • Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
  • Mahogany - Mahogany is a dense, close grained red-coloured timber from the West Indies and Central America. It was first imported into Europe in the the early 18th century and its use continued through the 19th century. It was popular for furniture making because of its strength, the wide boards available, the distinctive grain on some boards, termed flame mahogany and the rich warm colour of the timber when it was polished.. The "flame" was produced where a limb grew out from the trunk of the tree, and this timber was usually sliced into veneers for feature panels on doors, backs and cornices.

    Some terms used to describe mahogany relate to the country from which it originally came, such as "Cuban" mahogany, "Honduras" mahogany etc. However unless the wood has been tested the names assigned are more a selling feature, rather than a true indication of the timber's origin.
  • Boss - A boss is small round or oval decorative device, used as ornament in Neo-classical style furniture, ceramics, sculpture and other decorative arts. They are usually applied to the surface in the form of stylized rosettes, but in the best pieces they are carved directly into the surface. Also known as paterae (or patera) or rosettes.
  • Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
  • Dial Plate - The dial plate is the front plate of a clock or watch, and may have the numerals painted or engraved on it, as well as cut-outs for the hands, date apertures, strike/silent adjustment or automata. On some clocks a chapter ring, displaying the numerals may sit on top of the dial plate.
  • Hood - In longcase clocks, the hood is the wooden case that surrounds the works and dial, and includes the glass front, which is usually hinged, so the door can be opened to wind the clock or adjust the time. In 18th and 19th century longcase clocks the hood usually slides forward for removal, allowing access to the works.
  • Date Aperture - A date aperture is a cut out section in the face of a watch or clock, displaying the day of the month.
  • Spandrel - An architectural term that in horology refers to the triangular ornamental decoration in the corners of of the dial plate. The spandrels are usually of cast brass and may be additonally chased and engraved. On painted dial clocks the spandrels are also usually painted.
  • Pendulum - The pendulum was discovered around 1602 by Galileo Galilei, and was adopted for time keeping by the Dutch mathematician and natural philosopher, Christiaan Huygens, who excelled in astronomy, physics, and horology.

    The pendulum comprises a metal rod usually of brass or steel with a metal disk, known as a bob, at the end. The movement of the pendulum is driven by weights or a spring, and as a pendulum swings in a regular arc, it was found accuracy could be controlled to within a few seconds a week.

    Timekeeping can be adjusted by changing the height of the bob on the rod, making the pendulum either swing slower or faster.

    The disadvantage of the pendulum was that changes in temperature also changed the length of the pendulum, interfering with the accuracy of the clock, and so in the 18th century two types of mercurial pendulums were invented which countered the movement in the steel rod.

    The pendulum was the world's most accurate timekeeping technology until the invention of the quartz clock, regulated by a quartz crystal, in 1927.

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