EDWARD EAST, LONDON; CIRCA 1690

Edward East, 1602-c.1693 was perhaps the most influential and certainly one of the most important clockmakers of the 17th century. Born at Southill, Bedfordshire, the son of John East he was apprenticed until 1626 to Richard Rogers in the Goldsmiths' Company. When the Clockmakers' Charter was finally given Royal assent in August 1631 East was one of the first Assistants to be named, apparently against his will. He became Warden in 1638 and Master in 1645 and 1653 and worked at 'The Musical Clock' where he apparently held Clockmakers' Company court meetings. In 1660 he was appointed Chief Clockmaker to King Charles II.
The reversed trains found on the present clock is a feature sometimes found on other month-going clocks vide Tom Robinson, The Longcase clock, Antique Collectors' Club, 1981, p. 96, fig 5/10. The reason for their reversal is owing to the introduction of the extra 'month' wheel into the two trains; this in effect reverses their rotation and also the 'draw' on the bell hanmmer, a problem that was solved by the reversal of the two trains.
The vast majority of the plinths for these early marquetry clocks have either been heavily restored or totally replaced, the present example is one of the very few exceptions where almost the entire structure still survives.
The last marquetry longcase clock by Edward East was sold in these rooms, Important English Furniture, Thursday, 3 July 1997, lot 155.