THE PROPERTY OF AN ESTATE

A GEORGE III BRASS-MOUNTED MAHOGANY STRIKING AND MUSICAL EIGHT DAY LONGCASE CLOCK

MANDEVILLE SOMERSALL, LONDON. CIRCA 1770

Details

A GEORGE III BRASS-MOUNTED MAHOGANY STRIKING AND MUSICAL EIGHT DAY LONGCASE CLOCK
MANDEVILLE SOMERSALL, LONDON. CIRCA 1770
CASE: arched hood with pierced brass frieze fret, brass side frets and brass-fluted outset front columns, trunk door with unusual arched top, flanked by brass-fluted pilasters, conforming pilasters to plinth with raised panel and stepped skirting DIAL: 12 in. wide brass dial with gilt mask and foliate spandrels to silvered chapter ring, matted centre with subsidiary seconds ring and date aperture, the arch with rings for strike/silent and four tune selection ('An Air/Harvest Home/A Gavot/A Jigg'), with engraved angel between and also signed on a recessed silvered plaque 'Man.d Somersall/London', blued steel hands MOVEMENT: with six pillars, anchor escapement and rack hour strike on bell, hourly music on eight further bells with eight hammers via 2 in. pinned barrel; pendulum, three brass weights, case key, crank key
93 (236 cm.) high; 21½ in. (55 cm.) wide; 10¼ in. (26 cm.) deep

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Lot Essay

Mandeville Somersall (II) was apprenticed in 1726 and a Freeman of the Clockmakers' Company 1735-54. He died circa 1760 but was succeeded by his widow, who presumably continued to use his name. With its brass stop-fluting running down the entire case, this is a fine example of a London clock. D. Roberts (British Longcase Clocks, Pennsylvania, 1990, p. 173, figs. 227 a,b,c) illustrates a similar case by Farley of London.

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