Nathaniel Hodges, London, circa 1690

0836

14¼ inches.

Ebony veneered onto an oak carcass with an eagle and dolphin handle over the intricate gilt-brass basket top with urn finials. The front door with conforming gilt-brass, the sides with similar frets above the glazed rectangular apertures. the base moulding sitting on four turned gilt-brass bun feet.

The 6 inch square gilt-brass dial with winged cherub spandrels and the centre matted with an engraved date aperture below XII, the chapter ring engraved with Roman hours and half hour markers, the Arabic numerals outside the division ring.

Fine twin fusee movement with five baluster pillars, going train with knife-edge verge escapement and short bob pendulum. Strike train governed by a rose engraved and numbered countwheel, mounted on the backplate and striking the hours on the larger bell. The independent repeat system striking both the hours and quarters on both bells. The all-over tulip engraved backplate within a line border signed in an arc Nathanael Hodges in Wine Office Courte in Fleet Street Londini Fecit.

8 days.

Sold by John Carlton-Smith circa 2000.

Private English collector.

Verge with short bob pendulum and knife edge suspension.

With a sequential countwheel striking system, repeating is not possible utilising the strike train. This is one of a small number of spring clocks that use a ‘silent’ repeat system, normally found on timepieces, which independently repeat the hours and the quarters to avoid tripping the countwheel.