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Lot Essay
At just 10in. high to the hilt of its handle, this is the smallest and by far the rarest spring clock which Tompion made to his standard design. The really exceptional smaller examples were those of 8 inches high or less which required highly individual movements such as the two steel-cased clocks Nos. 21 & 23 which was sold in these rooms in July, 1990, £250,000) and the tiny silver-mounted clock No. 222 (6¾in. high), sold in these rooms 30 June, 1993, lot 275 for £400,000.
The size of a bracket or spring clock was an important factor as it affected its portability. Bracket clocks were more practical than longcase clocks as they could be used in family rooms downstairs and if the clock was small enough it could be carefully taken upstairs to the bedside. Here, the size of this bracket clock would have been ideally suited for this dual purpose and it is also where Tompion's unrivalled pull quarter repeat system - with cords to both sides of the case - came into its own.
The size of a bracket or spring clock was an important factor as it affected its portability. Bracket clocks were more practical than longcase clocks as they could be used in family rooms downstairs and if the clock was small enough it could be carefully taken upstairs to the bedside. Here, the size of this bracket clock would have been ideally suited for this dual purpose and it is also where Tompion's unrivalled pull quarter repeat system - with cords to both sides of the case - came into its own.