THE DIAL SIGNED BY THOMAS WAGSTAFFE (1724-1802), LONDON; THE CASE PHILADELPHIA, CIRCA 1755

With an elaborate sarcophagus hood, this clock case may have been made by a craftsman who trained in the shop of John Head, Sr. (1688-1754). The composite moldings on the hood of this clock case relate closely to those on a case with a movement signed by Philadelphia clockmaker Thomas Stretch and dated 1754. Chris Storb, Conservator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has been identifying clock cases made in the Head shop with movements by members of the Stretch and Wood families and as noted by Storb, the closely related 1754 clock case suggests the handiwork of a woodworker from the Head shop (Sotheby’s, New York, Property from the Collection of Irvin & Anita Schorsch: Hidden Glen Farms, 20-22 January 2016, lot 899; Storb’s comments are recorded in the Maine Antique Digest Prices Database, available at www.maineantiquedigest.com). The clock’s movement was made by Thomas Wagstaffe (1724-1802), who worked in London from 1753 to 1793. A devout Quaker, Wagstaffe maintained close ties with his brethren in Philadelphia and was known to not only provide lodging for his American visitors but also provide them with a clock movement to take back to America. As such, there are numerous examples of Wagstaffe movements in Philadelphia-made cases. See George Moore and Arthur James, "Thomas Wagstaffe, Quaker Clockmaker," The National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors Bulletin (December 1976), pp.534-5); Joseph Downs, American Furniture: Queen Anne and Chippendale Periods (New York, 1952), nos. 206, 207.