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DONNINGTON PRIORY
255
A forged iron domestic ‘great chamber clock’
Unsigned, German/Swiss, late 16th century
The two train movement with forged wheels, a mixture of lantern and standard-leaf pinions, wooden winding barrels with English
style sprung clicks to the great wheels and separate wheels driven via lantern pinions for key winding, the going train with verge
escapement regulated by foliot complete with curser weights, the strike train with nag’s head lifting and countwheel (driven via
teeth cut to the inside of the rim) controlling the hours sounded via a dragon headed hammer on a lugged bell supported above the
frame, the 11.5 x 9 inch rectangular painted single-handed dial now with starburst decorated centre within cream ground Gothic
Roman numeral chapter ring with winged cherub head painted decoration to lower angles and ribbon banner bearing Gothic script
Wenn’s ubel geht habich Seduld, Herzag ich nit Io bringts mir huld to upper margin, the frame composed of one-piece forged upper
and lower rings secured to the angled strip corner posts via baton-headed rivets, the upper terminals of the corner uprights
narrowing and curving outwards and applied with shield shaped finials, the base with outswept feet, with winding key and two
stone weights, (dial, escapement and superstructure with restoration) the frame 50cm (19.75ins) high, 34cm (13.5ins) wide and 42cm
(16.5ins) deep, height including bell
66cm (22ins); supported on a purpose made welded steel stand, 204cm (80.5ins) high overall.
The current lot can be compared to a similar lot sold at Sotheby’s, New York MASTERPIECES FROM THE TIME MUSEUM, PART FOUR,
VOLUME 1 13th October 2004, lot 500. A related but incomplete example was sold in these rooms on 6th September 2011, lot 113. The
presence of a dial indicates that the current lot was designed to be installed where it could be seen, however the overall relatively large
size of the frame suggests that it was made to furnish a large interior space such as the Great Hall of a substantial house. The design and
layout of the movement with nag’s head lifting, shaped cam for overlift and teeth cut to the inside of the countwheel to the strike train is
typical of Germanic practice of the second half of the 16th century.
£8,000-12,000
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