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Lot Essay
Displaying a highly elaborate inlaid case and an expertly rendered "rocking-ship" dial, this tall-case clock is masterpiece of American cabinet- and clock-making. The dial is signed by Ephraim Willard (1755-1832), the younger brother of early America's most famous clockmaker, Simon Willard (1753-1848). Born in Grafton, Ephraim trained alongside Simon in the shop established by their brother Benjamin (1743-1803) in 1766 and after he completed his apprenticeship, he embarked on his career, which was marked by financial strains and frequent changes of address. In 1784, he is recorded as a resident of Boston and a decade later, from 1795 to 1801, he appears on the tax lists of Roxbury. Involved in numerous legal proceedings, Ephraim is known to have been in Boston until December, 1805, when he failed to appear at a court hearing; thus, with its dial signed Boston and bearing Federal inlaid ornament, this clock can be dated to this four-year period. After leaving Boston, Ephraim fled to New York where he was sporadically listed in the City's tax records as a watchmaker (Paul J. Foley, Willard's Patent Time Pieces: A History of the Weight-Driven Banjo Clock 1800-1900 (Norwell, MA, 2002), p. 331).
Of Ephraim Willard's known clocks, this example displays the most extravagant case and is one of only two bearing a rocking-ship dial. The inlay on this case is among the more elaborate seen on Federal-era Boston furniture and bears remarkable detailing, such as the scrolled handles on the urns on the lower stiles and the realistic acorns and oak leaves on the lower quarter-fans on the base. Such high quality craftsmanship indicates the work of a specialist inlay-maker. With a plainer paterae-inlaid case, the other Ephraim-signed clock with a rocking-ship dial was advertised by Israel Sack, Inc. in 1949. The design of the upper dial appears identical to the example offered here and both include the Boston lighthouse in the background (see The Magazine Antiques (May 1949), p. 219).
Of Ephraim Willard's known clocks, this example displays the most extravagant case and is one of only two bearing a rocking-ship dial. The inlay on this case is among the more elaborate seen on Federal-era Boston furniture and bears remarkable detailing, such as the scrolled handles on the urns on the lower stiles and the realistic acorns and oak leaves on the lower quarter-fans on the base. Such high quality craftsmanship indicates the work of a specialist inlay-maker. With a plainer paterae-inlaid case, the other Ephraim-signed clock with a rocking-ship dial was advertised by Israel Sack, Inc. in 1949. The design of the upper dial appears identical to the example offered here and both include the Boston lighthouse in the background (see The Magazine Antiques (May 1949), p. 219).