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Lot Essay
JOHANNES (JOHN) FROMANTEEL AND THE FROMANTEEL FAMILY
John Fromanteel (1638 - ante 1692) was the son of Ahasuerus Fromanteel (1607 - 1693) and was apprenticed to his father in 1652. Part of his apprenticeship was spent in The Hague working with Salomon Coster (ante 1623 - 1659) on the new pendulum clock, which his father advertised in 'Mercurius Politicus' in 1658. Much debate has been generated by the nature of Fromanteel's relationship with Coster and in particular with regard to the interpretation of the Coster-Fromanteel contract of 1657. In essence this revolves around the degree of John's knowledge of the new technology prior to working with Coster; whether he learned about the new pendulum clock from Coster or arrived in The Hague capable of making one. Wherever the truth lies, what cannot be disputed is that John Fromanteel and his family were at the forefront of the development of a revolutionary new technology that would change the course of horological history and that the Fromanteels introduced the pendulum clock to England.
When working with Coster, John Fromanteel made the first pendulum clocks, an extremely rare example of which sold Christie's Amsterdam, The P.C. Spaans Collection of Important Clocks, 19 December 2007, lot 475 (Euro 456,000).
THE ARCHITECTURAL LONGCASE CLOCK
The earliest complete surviving English longcase clock is considered to be an example by Ahasuerus Fromanteel and is known as 'The Norfolk Fromanteel' as it carries the arms of the 6th Duke of Norfolk, for whom it appears to have been made (see J. Darken, ed., Horological Masterworks, Ticehurst, 2003, pp. 38-41). Dating from circa 1660 the case of this clock was designed in the elegant architectural style which would remain fashionable in England for the next dozen or so years. It has been suggested that Christopher Wren may have had a relationship with the Fromanteel family and have played a role in the creation of the architectural clock case. See Larry L Fabian, 'Could it have been Wren?', Antiquarian Horology, Vol.10, Winter 1977, pp. 550-570.
The present clock by John Fromaneel shares common features with his father's earlier clock and with those of other early makers such as Edward East (1602 - 1696), William Clement (1638/9 - 1709), Joseph Knibb (1640 - 1711), Henry Jones (c.1642 - 1695) and others. The key elements are a triangular pediment to the hood, with a decorative mount to the tympanum, panelling to the the sides of the trunk and to the long trunk door and Corinthian capitals to (initially plain) hood columns. Curiously, Macquoid and Edwards, clearly working from photographs for their Dictionary, refer to the latter being 'carved and gilded' (p. 103) on the present clock, which would be anomalous on an otherwise silver-mounted clock. Although the present clock has an anchor escapement, and therefore a long pendulum, it will be noted that as a very early example of a longcase clock incorporating the new technology of the anchor escapement it does not have a glass lenticle to the trunk door, a feature which would subsequently appear on other 'anchor longcases'. Other comparable clocks by John Fromanteel include an ebony example of circa 1665 known as the Spanish John Fromanteel (see Hans van den Ende, Dr John Taylor, et alia, Huygen's Legacy, The Golden Age of the Pendulum Clock, Isle of Man, 2004, pp. 76-79). See also: an early anchor escapement longcase clock, by Gulielmus (William) Clement, dating from circa 1668; a plainer walnut-case example by John Fromanteel of circa 1670 (both illustrated in Huygen's Legacy, pp. 120 - 123); and a walnut three train John Fromanteel with 1¼ seconds pendulum of circa 1675, exhibit no. 29 in 'The First Twelve years of the English Pendulum Clock'.
COMPARATIVE CLOCKS AT AUCTION
Clocks from the early architectural period of English clockmaking appear very infrequently at auction. The most recent examples of longcase clocks include an Edward East ebonised pearwood clock with verge escapement and dating from circa 1665/70, sold Christie's London, 6 December 2006, lot 112 (£355,200); and an Ahasuerus Fromanteel silver-mounted ebony clock with anchor (originally tic-tac) escapement of circa 1670, sold Bonhams London, 15 December 2009, lot 103 (£400,800). It is interesting to note that the latter clock has a movement with plates joined by four pillars, a feature it shares with the present clock. See also the small laburnum Edward East longcase sold Christie's London, 23 May 2012, lot 350 (£313,250).
THE SAMUEL MESSER COLLECTION
This clock last appeared at auction at Christie's in 1991 when it was included in the sale of the furniture, clocks and barometers of the great collector, Samuel Messer (d.1991). Other highlights of this extraordinary collection included a superlative ebony and silver-mounted stick barometer by Daniel Delander (£220,000) and the Barnard Tompion (£572,000). Messer assembled his collection with the help and advice of Robert Symonds (d. 1958), in his day the greatest expert on clocks and furniture and author of seminal works such as Masterpieces of English Furniture and Clocks (1940) and Thomas Tompion (1951). Symonds and Messer first met around 1950 and the footnote to the 1991 catalogue entry for this clock quotes a letter of 7 July 1955 from Symonds to Messer regarding its purchase: 'I have seen a Tompion clock at Christie's. It is a nice clock but too much missing...Phillips' Knibb is of course a very nice clock but I would much prefer to have the John Fromanteel at Sotheby's. This is an earlier clock and of far greater horological interest. There are many Knibbs but few Fromanteels in perfect condition.'
John Fromanteel (1638 - ante 1692) was the son of Ahasuerus Fromanteel (1607 - 1693) and was apprenticed to his father in 1652. Part of his apprenticeship was spent in The Hague working with Salomon Coster (ante 1623 - 1659) on the new pendulum clock, which his father advertised in 'Mercurius Politicus' in 1658. Much debate has been generated by the nature of Fromanteel's relationship with Coster and in particular with regard to the interpretation of the Coster-Fromanteel contract of 1657. In essence this revolves around the degree of John's knowledge of the new technology prior to working with Coster; whether he learned about the new pendulum clock from Coster or arrived in The Hague capable of making one. Wherever the truth lies, what cannot be disputed is that John Fromanteel and his family were at the forefront of the development of a revolutionary new technology that would change the course of horological history and that the Fromanteels introduced the pendulum clock to England.
When working with Coster, John Fromanteel made the first pendulum clocks, an extremely rare example of which sold Christie's Amsterdam, The P.C. Spaans Collection of Important Clocks, 19 December 2007, lot 475 (Euro 456,000).
THE ARCHITECTURAL LONGCASE CLOCK
The earliest complete surviving English longcase clock is considered to be an example by Ahasuerus Fromanteel and is known as 'The Norfolk Fromanteel' as it carries the arms of the 6th Duke of Norfolk, for whom it appears to have been made (see J. Darken, ed., Horological Masterworks, Ticehurst, 2003, pp. 38-41). Dating from circa 1660 the case of this clock was designed in the elegant architectural style which would remain fashionable in England for the next dozen or so years. It has been suggested that Christopher Wren may have had a relationship with the Fromanteel family and have played a role in the creation of the architectural clock case. See Larry L Fabian, 'Could it have been Wren?', Antiquarian Horology, Vol.10, Winter 1977, pp. 550-570.
The present clock by John Fromaneel shares common features with his father's earlier clock and with those of other early makers such as Edward East (1602 - 1696), William Clement (1638/9 - 1709), Joseph Knibb (1640 - 1711), Henry Jones (c.1642 - 1695) and others. The key elements are a triangular pediment to the hood, with a decorative mount to the tympanum, panelling to the the sides of the trunk and to the long trunk door and Corinthian capitals to (initially plain) hood columns. Curiously, Macquoid and Edwards, clearly working from photographs for their Dictionary, refer to the latter being 'carved and gilded' (p. 103) on the present clock, which would be anomalous on an otherwise silver-mounted clock. Although the present clock has an anchor escapement, and therefore a long pendulum, it will be noted that as a very early example of a longcase clock incorporating the new technology of the anchor escapement it does not have a glass lenticle to the trunk door, a feature which would subsequently appear on other 'anchor longcases'. Other comparable clocks by John Fromanteel include an ebony example of circa 1665 known as the Spanish John Fromanteel (see Hans van den Ende, Dr John Taylor, et alia, Huygen's Legacy, The Golden Age of the Pendulum Clock, Isle of Man, 2004, pp. 76-79). See also: an early anchor escapement longcase clock, by Gulielmus (William) Clement, dating from circa 1668; a plainer walnut-case example by John Fromanteel of circa 1670 (both illustrated in Huygen's Legacy, pp. 120 - 123); and a walnut three train John Fromanteel with 1¼ seconds pendulum of circa 1675, exhibit no. 29 in 'The First Twelve years of the English Pendulum Clock'.
COMPARATIVE CLOCKS AT AUCTION
Clocks from the early architectural period of English clockmaking appear very infrequently at auction. The most recent examples of longcase clocks include an Edward East ebonised pearwood clock with verge escapement and dating from circa 1665/70, sold Christie's London, 6 December 2006, lot 112 (£355,200); and an Ahasuerus Fromanteel silver-mounted ebony clock with anchor (originally tic-tac) escapement of circa 1670, sold Bonhams London, 15 December 2009, lot 103 (£400,800). It is interesting to note that the latter clock has a movement with plates joined by four pillars, a feature it shares with the present clock. See also the small laburnum Edward East longcase sold Christie's London, 23 May 2012, lot 350 (£313,250).
THE SAMUEL MESSER COLLECTION
This clock last appeared at auction at Christie's in 1991 when it was included in the sale of the furniture, clocks and barometers of the great collector, Samuel Messer (d.1991). Other highlights of this extraordinary collection included a superlative ebony and silver-mounted stick barometer by Daniel Delander (£220,000) and the Barnard Tompion (£572,000). Messer assembled his collection with the help and advice of Robert Symonds (d. 1958), in his day the greatest expert on clocks and furniture and author of seminal works such as Masterpieces of English Furniture and Clocks (1940) and Thomas Tompion (1951). Symonds and Messer first met around 1950 and the footnote to the 1991 catalogue entry for this clock quotes a letter of 7 July 1955 from Symonds to Messer regarding its purchase: 'I have seen a Tompion clock at Christie's. It is a nice clock but too much missing...Phillips' Knibb is of course a very nice clock but I would much prefer to have the John Fromanteel at Sotheby's. This is an earlier clock and of far greater horological interest. There are many Knibbs but few Fromanteels in perfect condition.'