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Lot Essay
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
J. Evans, Thomas Tompion at the Dial and Three Crowns, Ticehurst, 2006
R.W. Symonds, Thomas Tompion, His Life and Work, London, 1951
P.G. Dawson, The Iden Clock Collection, Woodbridge, 1987
P.G. Dawson, C.B. Drover & D.W. Parkes, Early English Clocks, Woodbridge, 1982
R.C.R. Barder, The Georgian Bracket Clock 1714-1830, Woodbridge, 1999
H. Cescinsky, The Old English Master Clockmakers and their Clocks, London, 1938
The case style of No.249 is designated by Jeremy Evans (p.68) as Tompion's Phase II, and was used by him from c.1690 until superseded by the Phase III design in c.1708 (see lot 58). Comparisons may be made with examples illustrated in Evans (p.68), Symonds (pp.150-151) Dawson (pp.92-97) and Dawson, Drover & Parkes (pp.482). Barder (p.27) shows No.244, numerically the closest recorded Tompion table clock. Interestingly, that clock and No.298, illustrated by Cescinsky (p.128) have blued steel securing brackets similar to those found on the present clock. A Phase II table clock (No.260) was sold Christie's Amsterdam, The P.C. Spaans Collection of Important European Clocks, 19 December 2007, lot 495.
No.249 was acquired by the present owner from the late Peter Gwynn, who bought it from Garrards for £1550 on 28 June 1957. Garrards had previously paid Hans von Bertele £1250 for the clock. De Carle's Tompion ledger, containing notes on the clocks he encountered during his work at Garrards (now with the British Museum) reads: Dawson has for repair & says 'perfect' Similar to 182. Hobson overhauled the movement and it is featured in Hobson's Choice, p.23-25. It had previously been offered in an advertisement by Watkins of Carey Street in February 1953, presumably on behalf of von Bertele and presumably taken back by him when unsold.
Von Bertele bought No.249 in 1946, from a member of the von Rath family, a provenance which is referenced in the Connoisseur article of June 1962. According to notes apparently compiled by von Bertele, von Rath family tradition held that the clock had been in their possession since being purchased from Tompion. The family had been merchants and bankers since the 17th Century. Going back to the 19th Century, the clock's provenance was said to be as follows: Paul von Rath inherited from his family in Augsburg in about 1830; Frau Barbara von Rath inherited from her husband's father, Paul von Rath, in about 1860; Frau Koch inherited from her mother, Frau Barbara von Rath of Budapest in about 1890; the daughter of Frau Koch, widow of Professor Koch of Vienna University, inherited in about 1920; the sister of the last owner held the clock until 1946.
We are grateful to Mr Jeremy Evans for his assistance in compiling this footnote.
J. Evans, Thomas Tompion at the Dial and Three Crowns, Ticehurst, 2006
R.W. Symonds, Thomas Tompion, His Life and Work, London, 1951
P.G. Dawson, The Iden Clock Collection, Woodbridge, 1987
P.G. Dawson, C.B. Drover & D.W. Parkes, Early English Clocks, Woodbridge, 1982
R.C.R. Barder, The Georgian Bracket Clock 1714-1830, Woodbridge, 1999
H. Cescinsky, The Old English Master Clockmakers and their Clocks, London, 1938
The case style of No.249 is designated by Jeremy Evans (p.68) as Tompion's Phase II, and was used by him from c.1690 until superseded by the Phase III design in c.1708 (see lot 58). Comparisons may be made with examples illustrated in Evans (p.68), Symonds (pp.150-151) Dawson (pp.92-97) and Dawson, Drover & Parkes (pp.482). Barder (p.27) shows No.244, numerically the closest recorded Tompion table clock. Interestingly, that clock and No.298, illustrated by Cescinsky (p.128) have blued steel securing brackets similar to those found on the present clock. A Phase II table clock (No.260) was sold Christie's Amsterdam, The P.C. Spaans Collection of Important European Clocks, 19 December 2007, lot 495.
No.249 was acquired by the present owner from the late Peter Gwynn, who bought it from Garrards for £1550 on 28 June 1957. Garrards had previously paid Hans von Bertele £1250 for the clock. De Carle's Tompion ledger, containing notes on the clocks he encountered during his work at Garrards (now with the British Museum) reads: Dawson has for repair & says 'perfect' Similar to 182. Hobson overhauled the movement and it is featured in Hobson's Choice, p.23-25. It had previously been offered in an advertisement by Watkins of Carey Street in February 1953, presumably on behalf of von Bertele and presumably taken back by him when unsold.
Von Bertele bought No.249 in 1946, from a member of the von Rath family, a provenance which is referenced in the Connoisseur article of June 1962. According to notes apparently compiled by von Bertele, von Rath family tradition held that the clock had been in their possession since being purchased from Tompion. The family had been merchants and bankers since the 17th Century. Going back to the 19th Century, the clock's provenance was said to be as follows: Paul von Rath inherited from his family in Augsburg in about 1830; Frau Barbara von Rath inherited from her husband's father, Paul von Rath, in about 1860; Frau Koch inherited from her mother, Frau Barbara von Rath of Budapest in about 1890; the daughter of Frau Koch, widow of Professor Koch of Vienna University, inherited in about 1920; the sister of the last owner held the clock until 1946.
We are grateful to Mr Jeremy Evans for his assistance in compiling this footnote.