ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS COLE, RETAILED BY C.F. HANCOCK, LONDON. MID-19TH CENTURY

A strut timepiece with manual calendar of related design, also retailed by Hancock, was sold Christie's London,13 December 2000, lot 59 (£5,640). J.B. Hawkins (Thomas Cole & Victorian Clockmaking, Sydney, 1975) illustrates Cole calendar strut clocks of related design, including an example retailed by Hancock (pp. 62-63). The handle of the present clock is particularly unusual, contrasting with the loop design found on most strut clocks. Although lacking a Cole number or 'secret signature' the present clock is almost certainly Cole's work and falls into the 'pre-numbered' category described by Hawkins (p. 46) when discussing a similar clock.