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Lot Essay
Demonstrating the ingenuity of Simon Willard (1753-1848) and his experimentation with the 'half' or 'short' clock form during the 1780s, this shelf time piece is an exceedingly rare form by arguably eighteenth-century America's most influential clockmaker. The balloon-shaped case is seen on very few American clocks from this period; the example offered here is the only one found with a dial signed by Simon Willard as well as being the sole example with a brass dial. While others may exist, only four other American balloon-shaped shelf clocks from this period have been found, all of which feature white-painted dials signed by Simon's younger brother Aaron (1757-1844) (two are in the collections of Old Sturbridge Village, see figs. 2 and 3; a third is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, acc. no. 30.120.66; a fourth sold, Sotheby's, New York, Selections from Israel Sack, Inc., 20 January 2002, lot 1379). The balloon-shaped case was a European form, seen on primarily French bracket clocks throughout the eighteenth century. However, the Willard brothers may have been inspired by contemporary events as their renditions of the form coincide with the first successful ascension of a manned hot-air balloon, an event that took place in France on June 5, 1783 by brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier (fig. 4). Subsequent public demonstrations and extensive media coverage created a fashion for balloon-shaped ornament in decorative arts, dress and even hairstyles. In America, the events were widely reported in the Boston newspaper, the Columbian Centinel, and the Willard brothers would have certainly been aware of the public interest in the new invention (Richard W. Husher and Walter W. Welch, A Study of Simon Willard's Clocks (1980), p. 31; Philip Zea and Robert C. Cheney, Clock Making in New England, 1725-1825 (Massachusetts, 1992), pp. 33-34).
The time piece offered here is one of Simon Willard's early versions of a shelf clock. Referred to as 'half' or 'short' clocks during the period, many know them today as 'case-on-case' clocks. They are weight-driven yet attempt to replicate the appearance of a single-case form used for more expensive spring-driven bracket clocks. Like Simon's early wall clocks, which he began making in the 1770s while still in Grafton, this model has an upper case with kidney-shaped door aperture and false scroll feet that appear to be sitting atop a rectangular lower case; in fact, the two cases are integral and the lower case was needed to accommodate the falling weight (Zea and Cheney, pp. 32-33; Husher and Welch, p. 31). Simon began making shelf clocks during his time in Grafton as at least one example survives with his name and Grafton engraved on the dial (Herschel B. Burt, Eighteenth Century Thirty-Hour Willard Clocks 1770-1790 (1997), pp. 2-3, cat. 1). By 1783, but probably in 1780 or soon thereafter, Simon and Aaron had moved to Roxbury, where Simon would remain throughout his career (Paul J. Foley, Willard's Patent Time Pieces: A History of the Weight-Driven Banjo Clock, 1800-1900 (Massachusetts, 2002), pp. 2, 4, fig. 4). Signed "Roxbury," this time piece was probably one of the earliest shelf clocks made by Simon after his move. With plates in the shape of an inverted 'T' and screwed to the backboard, this time piece's movement is like those used by Simon and Aaron on some of their 30-hour Grafton wall clocks (Burt, pp. 10-11, cat. 5). In contrast, other shelf clocks by Simon and Aaron Willard, including the latter's examples in balloon-shaped cases, feature movements with rectangular plates that are accessible through the back or that sit atop saddle boards as seen on tall-case clocks. One of Aaron's balloon-shaped shelf clocks (in fig. 3) bears a hand-written label claiming it is "The 1st short time piece made in America 1784" and, while this claim is not accurate, Philip Zea and Robert Cheney have noted that perhaps it was the first shelf clock made in Roxbury (Zea and Cheney, p. 34). If so, it would have been unusual for Simon to follow in his brother's footsteps as Simon has long been regarded as the inventor and Aaron the mass-marketer. The affinity to the Grafton wall clocks, along with its brass rather than white-painted dial, makes it very possible that the time piece offered here pre-dates Aaron's examples. If its case design was a response to the hot-air ballooning craze and the 1784 date is correct for the time piece in fig. 3, it would mean that the time piece offered here was made in 1783 or 1784.
Illustrated in 1950 and described as 'Best' by Albert Sack, this shelf time piece may have been sold by the Sack firm to noted collector, Mitchell M. Taradash (1889-1973). It was in the Taradash collection by 1953, when it was featured in a bedroom in the Taradash's Ardsley-on-Hudson house in The Magazine Antiques (fig. 1; see Literature, above).
Christie's would like to thank Gary R. Sullivan for his assistance with this essay.
The time piece offered here is one of Simon Willard's early versions of a shelf clock. Referred to as 'half' or 'short' clocks during the period, many know them today as 'case-on-case' clocks. They are weight-driven yet attempt to replicate the appearance of a single-case form used for more expensive spring-driven bracket clocks. Like Simon's early wall clocks, which he began making in the 1770s while still in Grafton, this model has an upper case with kidney-shaped door aperture and false scroll feet that appear to be sitting atop a rectangular lower case; in fact, the two cases are integral and the lower case was needed to accommodate the falling weight (Zea and Cheney, pp. 32-33; Husher and Welch, p. 31). Simon began making shelf clocks during his time in Grafton as at least one example survives with his name and Grafton engraved on the dial (Herschel B. Burt, Eighteenth Century Thirty-Hour Willard Clocks 1770-1790 (1997), pp. 2-3, cat. 1). By 1783, but probably in 1780 or soon thereafter, Simon and Aaron had moved to Roxbury, where Simon would remain throughout his career (Paul J. Foley, Willard's Patent Time Pieces: A History of the Weight-Driven Banjo Clock, 1800-1900 (Massachusetts, 2002), pp. 2, 4, fig. 4). Signed "Roxbury," this time piece was probably one of the earliest shelf clocks made by Simon after his move. With plates in the shape of an inverted 'T' and screwed to the backboard, this time piece's movement is like those used by Simon and Aaron on some of their 30-hour Grafton wall clocks (Burt, pp. 10-11, cat. 5). In contrast, other shelf clocks by Simon and Aaron Willard, including the latter's examples in balloon-shaped cases, feature movements with rectangular plates that are accessible through the back or that sit atop saddle boards as seen on tall-case clocks. One of Aaron's balloon-shaped shelf clocks (in fig. 3) bears a hand-written label claiming it is "The 1st short time piece made in America 1784" and, while this claim is not accurate, Philip Zea and Robert Cheney have noted that perhaps it was the first shelf clock made in Roxbury (Zea and Cheney, p. 34). If so, it would have been unusual for Simon to follow in his brother's footsteps as Simon has long been regarded as the inventor and Aaron the mass-marketer. The affinity to the Grafton wall clocks, along with its brass rather than white-painted dial, makes it very possible that the time piece offered here pre-dates Aaron's examples. If its case design was a response to the hot-air ballooning craze and the 1784 date is correct for the time piece in fig. 3, it would mean that the time piece offered here was made in 1783 or 1784.
Illustrated in 1950 and described as 'Best' by Albert Sack, this shelf time piece may have been sold by the Sack firm to noted collector, Mitchell M. Taradash (1889-1973). It was in the Taradash collection by 1953, when it was featured in a bedroom in the Taradash's Ardsley-on-Hudson house in The Magazine Antiques (fig. 1; see Literature, above).
Christie's would like to thank Gary R. Sullivan for his assistance with this essay.