THE DIAL SIGNED BY ELNATHAN TABER (1768-1854), ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS; THE PAINTWORK SIGNED BY WILLIAM PRESCOTT (1775-1803), CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS, 1790-1803

Details

A FEDERAL INLAID MAHOGANY BRASS-MOUNTED TALL-CASE CLOCK
THE DIAL SIGNED BY ELNATHAN TABER (1768-1854), ROXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS; THE PAINTWORK SIGNED BY WILLIAM PRESCOTT (1775-1803), CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS, 1790-1803
the white-painted moon-phase dial inscribed Elnathan Taber; the reverse of the dial signed in white paint, W^m Prescott N. 15; feet replaced
99 1⁄2 in. high, 20 1⁄2 in. wide, 10 in. deep

Provenance

Antique Investments, Vero Beach, Florida, June 1987

Special notice

Please note this lot will be moved to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS in Red Hook, Brooklyn) at 5pm on the last day of the sale. Lots may not be collected during the day of their move to Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services. Please consult the Lot Collection Notice for collection information. This sheet is available from the Bidder Registration staff, Purchaser Payments or the Packing Desk and will be sent with your invoice.

Conditions of sale

Lot Essay

With brass-mounted ornament, this tall-case clock is an elaborate model made by craftsmen closely associated with the Willard clockmaking empire. The clockmaker, Elnathan Taber (1768-1854) was an apprentice of Simon Willard (1753-1848) and dials signed by the paint-decorator, William Prescott (1775-1803) are found on clocks made by Willard and his brothers Aaron (1757-1844) and Ephraim (1755-1832). For more on these artisans, see biographies in Paul J. Foley, Willard's Patent Time Pieces: A History of the Weight-Driven Banjo Clock, 1800-1900 (Norwell, MA., 2002).

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