Lot Essay
DURING THE 18TH CENTURY LONGCASE CLOCKS WITH ASTRONOMICAL INDICATIONS WERE ONLY MADE IN AMSTERDAM AND FRIESLAND. THE PRODUCTION OF THESE RARE CLOCKS CAN NOT HAVE BEEN LARGE AS SO FEW OF THEM HAVE SURVIVED. IN HIS BOOK DE NEDERLANDSE STAANDE KLOK, CHAPTER XIII, ZWOLLE, 1996, MR J. ZEEMAN MENTIONS THAT AT THIS TIME ONLY TWELVE OF THESE ASTRONOMICAL CLOCKS ARE KNOWN TO EXIST, ONE OF WHICH VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN OTHER THAN IT WAS OFFERED SOME YEARS AGO ON THE DELFT ANTIQUE FAIR. IT IS BELIEVED THE ABOVE CLOCK BY THOMAS THOMSON COULD BE THIS TWELTH CLOCK.
THOMAS THOMSON WAS A PROMINENT CLOCKMAKER WHO WAS ACTIVE IN AMSTERDAM CIRCA 1760. HE WAS PROBABLY THE FATHER OF T. THOMSON WITH WHOM HE LIVED AND WORKED ON THE ACHTERBURGWAL 177. (ENRICO MORPURGO, NEDERLANDSE KLOKKEN- EN HORLOGEMAKERS VANAF 1300, AMSTERDAM, 1970)
THE PAINTING SURROUNDING THE CHAPTER RING, ALTHOUGH NOT SIGNED, IS PROBABLY THE WORK OF JOHANN HEINRICH STRUMPFF. HE ALSO PAINTED DIALS FOR OTHER CLOCKMAKERS SUCH AS OTTO VAN MEURS (1714-1783, AMSTERDAM) AND ARIE VAN EEDEN (ACTIVE CIRCA 1772, HAARLEM). (J. ZEEMAN, DE NEDERLANDSE STAANDE KLOK, ZWOLLE, 1996, PP. 135 AND 137)
SEE ILLUSTRATION
THOMAS THOMSON WAS A PROMINENT CLOCKMAKER WHO WAS ACTIVE IN AMSTERDAM CIRCA 1760. HE WAS PROBABLY THE FATHER OF T. THOMSON WITH WHOM HE LIVED AND WORKED ON THE ACHTERBURGWAL 177. (ENRICO MORPURGO, NEDERLANDSE KLOKKEN- EN HORLOGEMAKERS VANAF 1300, AMSTERDAM, 1970)
THE PAINTING SURROUNDING THE CHAPTER RING, ALTHOUGH NOT SIGNED, IS PROBABLY THE WORK OF JOHANN HEINRICH STRUMPFF. HE ALSO PAINTED DIALS FOR OTHER CLOCKMAKERS SUCH AS OTTO VAN MEURS (1714-1783, AMSTERDAM) AND ARIE VAN EEDEN (ACTIVE CIRCA 1772, HAARLEM). (J. ZEEMAN, DE NEDERLANDSE STAANDE KLOK, ZWOLLE, 1996, PP. 135 AND 137)
SEE ILLUSTRATION