Joseph Knibb, London

Circa 1680

Sold

Height 6 ft 9 inches

A very rare silver-mounted month going ebony-veneered roman striking longcase clock. CASE The case has a rising hood with a restored caddy top with three brass ball finials, pierced ebony frets to the frieze and spiral three-quarter columns to the front and quarter columns to the rear. The panelled trunk has an original gilt-brass satyr mask above the panelled door which is set with a brass-framed oval lenticle and has a printed paper label pasted to inside for Wetherfield Collection of Clocks acquired by Arthur S. Vernay Inc. The plinth is panelled to the sides and is raised on ebony bun feet. DIAL The 10 inch gilt-brass dial has latched dial feet and is signed to the lower edge Joseph Knibb Londini Fecit within a wheatear engraved border and cherub head spandrels. The narrow solid silver chapter ring has Roman hour chapters and Arabic five minutes numerals and fleur-de-lis half hour markers. The very finely matted centre has a silver seconds ring and a calendar aperture just beneath chapter XII. The lovely blued steel hands are beautifully pierced and chamfered. MOVEMENT The two-train movement has five fully latched ringed baluster pillars, the two trains are reversed for the month duration; the going train has anchor escapement together with the original butterfly nut regulated brass-rod pendulum which is suspended from the movement on a steel spring and brass hook with further butterfly nut regulation. The strike train has countwheel Roman-notation strike on two bells. PROVENANCE The Wetherfield Collection, until dispersed in 1928. With Arthur S. Vernay, New York. With Stair & Company, New York, 31 July 1974. Guggenheim Collection. LITERATURE E. Bruton, The Wetherfield Collection of Clocks, London, 1981, pp. 124-125, no. 72. NOTES To date there are only five extant ebony month-going longcase clocks by Joseph Knibb; 1. Iden Collection, Volume III No. 56 Month-going ebony case with calendar and silvered brass chapter ring, Roman strike. 2. Sotheby’s April 1969 lot 196 Month-going ebony case with calendar and silvered brass chapter ring, Roman strike. 3. Private collection UK, (Wetherfield collection 1st ed. Fig. 29) Month-going ebony case, Corinthian capitals, satyr & swag mounts, seconds ring, Roman strike. 4. The present clock (ex Wetherfield collection 1st ed. Fig. 27 & 27a) Month-going ebony case, satyr mask mount, silver chapter ring and silver seconds ring, Roman strike. 5. Prestige Collection, R.A. Lee, page 30 plate 19 Month-going ebony case, carved cresting, swag mount, silver skeletonised chapter ring and silver seconds ring, Roman strike. THE WETHERFIELD COLLECTION This ebony longcase clock was one of two very similar examples that were owned by the celebrated collector Arthur Wetherfield. David Arthur Wetherfield brought together perhaps the greatest collection of entirely English domestic clocks ever assembled by a private collector. In 1930, after his death, the collection was sold, about half going to America (despite his wishes) and the remainder staying in the UK. It was particularly rich in longcase clocks, but had a good selection of table and lantern clocks, all purely English.