French Marble Mantel Clock with Open Escapement by Marti
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A French marble mantel clock with open escapement by Marti, F. Marti clockmaker, Paris, late 19th century with a white enamel annular dial, Roman numerals, and a visible Brocot escapement, the gong striking movement signed Marti, in a large classical two-tone black and variegated brown marble case with incised floral decoration, with key and pendulum. Height 39.5 cm, width 30 cm, depth 16 cm
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- Movement - The technical name for the workings of a clock or watch, and does not include the dial or case.
- 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. - Brocot Escapement - The Brocot escapement was invented by the French clockmaker Achille Brocot in 1828. It is a type of escapement, which is a mechanism in a timepiece that controls the movement of the gears and regulates the timekeeping accuracy.
The Brocot escapement is a variation of the detent escapement and it is used in pendulum and spring-driven clocks. It uses a pair of pallets that engage and lock the escape wheel, allowing the clock's power to be transferred to the balance wheel. The escapement also allows the clock's gears to advance in small, precise increments, which helps to improve the clock's timekeeping accuracy. The Brocot escapement was widely used in 19th century for both domestic and public clocks, also it was widely used in marine chronometers.
The Brocot escapement is known for its high accuracy and stability - Incised - A record of a name, date or inscription, or a decoration scratched into a surface, usually of a glass or ceramic item with a blunt instrument to make a coarse indentation. Compare with engraving where the surface is cut with a sharp instrument such as a metal needle or rotating tool to achieve a fine indentation.
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