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Lot Essay
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
Tony Mercer, Chronometer Makers of the World, London, 1991, p.165
Thomas Reid, Treatise on Clock and Watch Making, Edinburgh, 1832, p.404 and p.432-453
Eric Bruton, The Wetherfield Collection of Clocks, London, 1981, p.224, fig.205
John Holmes regarded wooden pendulum rods highly and presented a paper on the subject to the Royal Society in 1771 (see lot 98 footnote). When overseeing the construction of the turret clock at Greenwich Hospital after the fire of 1779, Holmes sought the advice of the engineer John Smeaton (who built the Eddystone Lighthouse). The two were also partners in the Deptford Waterworks. He also consulted William Ludlam, William Ludlam Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, who in 1769 published a work with a description of a wooden pendulum. Holmes and Ludlam corresponded regularly on the specifications of the clock.
Bruton (op. cit.) shows a Holmes longcase clock of closely related design in the Wetherfield collection. Holmes frequently used 'Dutton' style cases (see also lot 93), employing the finest cabinet work of the day.
Tony Mercer, Chronometer Makers of the World, London, 1991, p.165
Thomas Reid, Treatise on Clock and Watch Making, Edinburgh, 1832, p.404 and p.432-453
Eric Bruton, The Wetherfield Collection of Clocks, London, 1981, p.224, fig.205
John Holmes regarded wooden pendulum rods highly and presented a paper on the subject to the Royal Society in 1771 (see lot 98 footnote). When overseeing the construction of the turret clock at Greenwich Hospital after the fire of 1779, Holmes sought the advice of the engineer John Smeaton (who built the Eddystone Lighthouse). The two were also partners in the Deptford Waterworks. He also consulted William Ludlam, William Ludlam Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, who in 1769 published a work with a description of a wooden pendulum. Holmes and Ludlam corresponded regularly on the specifications of the clock.
Bruton (op. cit.) shows a Holmes longcase clock of closely related design in the Wetherfield collection. Holmes frequently used 'Dutton' style cases (see also lot 93), employing the finest cabinet work of the day.