JOHANNES FROMANTEEL, LONDON. CIRCA 1670

Details

A Charles II ebony architectural longcase clock
Johannes Fromanteel, London. Circa 1670
The case of heavy oak construction with rising hood with gable top supported on gilt-metal composite-capped three-quarter columns, the top rail applied with a gilt-metal ribbon-tied berried swag, similar swags to the sides with long glazed windows, the long narrow trunk with moulded and recessed panels to the sides, the panelled trunk door with later gilt-metal escutcheon and gilt-metal satyr mask mount applied above the door, the plinth on gilt-metal bun feet, the 8½in. square gilt-brass dial signed Johannes Fromanteel Londini Fecit beneath the narrow silvered Roman and Arabic chapter ring, later blued steel hands, the finely matted centre with silvered chapter ring and calendar aperture, latches to the dial feet and to the five slender ringed pillars securing the narrow brass plates with scooped shoulders, later bolt-and-shutter maintaining power, anchor escapement, hour strike on a bell via countwheel planted on the lower left side of the back plate; the case basically old with extensive restorations
6ft. 4¼in. (194cm.) high

Literature

Illustrated, P.G. Dawson, C.B. Drover & D.W. Parkes, Early English Clocks, Antique Collectors' Club, 1982, pls. 173 & 174, pp. 134 & 135

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

Dawson, Drover and Parkes (op. cit.) write about the movement of the present clock;
.........It was at this time that the vertical hammer was replaced by one pivoted between the plates and we can see in plate 174 (op. cit.) that John Fromanteel found it necessary to modify the shape of his plates in order to accomodate the barrel arbor. This may have been one reason for the return to rectangular plates.

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