A Charles II brass lantern clock John Wise, London, circa 1675 The posted countwheel bell-striking movement with Huygens's endless rope winding and later anchor escapement for regulation by seconds pendulum swinging outside the frame of the clock to the rear, the dial with rose decorated vestigial alarm disc enveloped by stylised leafy blooms issuing from a three-petal flowerhead positioned just above 6 o'clock, with pierced iron hand within applied Roman numeral chapter ring with trident half hour markers and engraved leafy infill to angles, the standard London third period frame with column turned corner posts beneath dolphin inhabited foliate pierced frets signed Iohn Wise London to lower margin, vase turned finials and domed bell bearer, the sides with hinged brass doors, the rear with iron backplate, hanging hoop and spurs, (formerly with verge escapement with pendulum swinging within the frame at the rear; lacking alarm mechanism, rope, weight and pendulum), 39cm (15.25ins) high. John Wise senior is recorded in Loomes, Brian Clockmakers of Britain 1286-1700 as born in Banbury, Oxfordshire in 1624 and apprenticed to Peter Closon through Thomas Dawson in 1638, gaining his Freedom in October 1646. He apparently lived in Warwick 1653-68 where he repaired the clocks at St. Nicholas and St. Mary`s churches, the latter providing the venue for the baptism of three of his children. He moved back to London in 1669 where he was re-admitted to the Clockmakers` Company by redemption. He took many apprentices including no less than six of his sons; Richard (Free 1679), John (Free 1683), Thomas (Free 1686), Joseph (Free 1687), Peter (Free 1693) and Luke (Free 1694). He worked from 'neer the Popeshead in Moorfields' and was recorded as a recusant in 1682/3. John Wise senior died in 1690 and was buried at St. Andrew's, Holborn. John Wise was a very accomplished maker whose work ranks alongside the leading London workshops of the time. A particularly fine example of his work was a table clock sold in these rooms on Tuesday 6th September 2011 (lot 151). This clock was housed in a fine walnut case of the type used by Joseph Knibb and exhibited unusual features in the movement such as double-baluster turned pillars and vertically pivoted hour- hammer. The dial also featured unusual engraved portraits to the winding hole maintaining power shutters. Interestingly the double baluster pillars and portrait engraved winding-hole shutters also feature on a longcase clock movement and dial by Wise which sold at Cheffins, Cambridge The Fine Sale on the 11th September 2019 (lot 427). Of his lantern clocks perhaps the best known example is a larger model with tic-tac escapement illustrated in Loomes, Brian LANTERN CLOCKS & Their Makers pages 141-43, (Figs 9.31-.34). In addition to the provision of a tic-tac escapement this lantern clock is notable in having unusual scroll pierced and engraved fretwork fronted winged projections for the pendulum and uses a frame castings attributed to the Fromanteel workshop. The current lot can be described as a 'textbook' example of a London third period lantern clock made relatively shortly after the introduction of the pendulum. The frame castings, dial engraving, fret pattern and overall configuration of the movement very closely compares to a clock by John Ebsworth which was sold in these rooms on 15th September 2015 (lot 156). Indeed the general standardisation of London lantern clock production at this time becomes very evident when comparing contemporary clocks by the likes of Nicholas Coxeter, Richard Ames, Thomas Wheeler and John Ebsworth, examples of which are illustrated and described in Loomes, Brian LANTERN CLOCKS& Their Makers, chapter 9 and White, George ENGLISH LANTERN CLOCKS chapter 4.