THE DIAL SIGNED BY BENJAMIN RITTENHOUSE (1740-1825), WORCESTER, PENNSYLVANIA, DATED 1788

The younger brother of Pennsylvania's most acclaimed clockmaker, David Rittenhouse (1732-1796), Benjamin (1740-1825) was a talented craftsman in his own right. He is thought to have trained under his brother and the two worked together in their hometown of Norriton, Pennsylvania, in the 1760s. During the Revolutionary War, Benjamin fought for the patriot cause and was wounded in 1777 at the Battle of Brandywine. After the War, he established a clock- and instrument-making business in Worcester and his clients included Andrew Ellicott (1754-1820), the country's leading surveyor. The compass offered here exemplifies Benjamin's florid style and, dated 1788, was made during the peak of his instrument-making career. For another compass by the same craftsman, see lot 26 in this sale and for more on his life, see Martha H. Willoughby, biographies, Timeless: American Masterpiece Brass Dial Clocks, Frank Hohmann III, ed. (New York, 2009), pp. 348-349.