BY HENRY JONES, LONDON, CIRCA 1685

Details

A CHARLES II WALNUT HOUR AND HALF HOUR STRIKING BRACKET CLOCK
By Henry Jones, London, circa 1685
The 6¼ in. square dial with silvered Roman and Arabic chapter ring, pierced blued steel hands (later minute hand), the matted centre with calendar aperture, cast and chased winged cherub spandrels, the twin fusee (wire lines) movement with verge escapement, three pillars of square section to the base and two of circular section above, typical rosette engraved outside countwheel calibrated 1 to 12 and cut for the hours and half hours striking on two bells of different tones, later backcock, the border-engraved back-plate signed 'Henricus Jones Londini' within an engraved lambrequin, visible ratchet and engraved click, the case with later foliate handle to shallow domed top, later sound frets to the frieze below, glazed sides, later gilt-metal escutcheons to the front door, the moulded base on later gilt-metal bun feet
13 in. (33 cm.) high

Lot Essay

Henry Jones, 1642-1695, allegedly the son of William Jones, Vicar of Boulder, Southampton, was apprenticed in August 1654 to Benjamin Hill, d. 1670, passed over to Edward East and made a Freeman of the Clockmaker's Company in 1663.
His shop is believed to have been situated on the left just inside the gateway to the Inner Temple and indeed some of his work is signed 'Henry Jones in Ye Temple'. His style of clockmaking was very much influenced by his Master, Edward East, employing bold dials, thick movement plates and highly individual backplates. Relatively sparse use of foliate engraving, heavily engraved countwheels and external ratchet-and-clicks are also typical of his work.

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