Details
A Dutch burr walnut and parcel-gilt musical longcase clock
Jan Henkels, Amsterdam, circa 1775
The case with canted, hollowed angles, inlaid overal with scaly lines, foliate clasps and perching birds, the bombé plinth on hairy claw and ball feet, the rounded rectangular trunk door with scrolling foliate carved rim and centred by a glazed lenticle overlaid with a bronze mount with Chronos, the reverse inscribed in pencil Kraay Bovenkarspel 1863 25 September, and a later brass plaque indicating the airs played, the arched hood centred by a scallop clasp with a perching bird, foliate soundfrets to the front and sides, the bell-shaped caddy top surmounted by giltwood figural finials, each with a paper label inscribed in ink No 5, the glazed arched door flanked by columns carved with flowers and foliage and headed by corinthean capitals, the brass dial painted to the arch with the judgement of king Midas and Apollo's triumph over Marsyas, centred by a painted moon disc with its age shown above, with spandrels painted with figures of musicians to the silvered Roman and Arabic arcaded chapter ring signed JAN HENKELS AMSTELDAM, the matted centre with subsidiary silvered seconds ring with date aperture to its engraved centre, the central winding hole below also bordered by engraved leafy scrolls, flanked by apertures showing the day of the week showing its zodiacal symbol and a painted representation of its appropriate deity, and another giving the month with its number of days and a painted seasonal figure, with levers for strike/no strike by 45 and music/no music by 15, with six notches for music selection to the edge of the dial (the tunes numbered on a silvered plaque to the corresponding edge of the hood and listed on a further engraved and silvered plaque to the inside of the trunk door), the four pillar movement with anchor escapement and Dutch strike on two bells, trip repeat, with Dutch music playing one of six airs on the hour and another six on the half hour, the music on 11 bells via 30 hammers (bells and hammers later), with 18 cm. (7 in.) long pin barrel also with trip repeat, losses to the paint on the dial, restorations to the veneers, the case and movement possibly associated, the case 18th century but with later carving
302 cm. (118½ in.) high x 70 cm. (27½ in.) wide x 40 cm. (16 in.) deep
.jpg?w=1)