A fine and rare James I or Charles I 'first period' lantern clock Initialled W.S. perhaps for William Selwood, London, circa 1625 The going train now with later anchor escapement for regulation by seconds pendulum swinging outside the frame of the clock to the rear and the strike train incorporating double-cut hoop wheel and iron countweel for sounding the hours on the bell mounted within the superstructure, the dial with unusual rose within radial sunburst engraved centre and applied narrow silvered Roman numeral chapter ring with cruciform half hour markers with a pierced iron hand and intense scroll engraved cross-hatched infill to angles, the frame with one-piece column turned corner posts and finials incorporating rounded elements at the junctions between the top and bottom plates with the lower front pair each engraved with the initials W*S and the finials flanking shaped cartouche centred foliate scroll pieced and engraved frets, the sides with hinged brass doors and the top with iron-framed bell-bearer unusually decorated with applied strips of pewter-type alloy incorporating serrated edges and secured by repeating finial rivets enclosing a bell cast with the initials WS to interior, on integral ring-decorated ball feet (formerly with verge escapement regulated by horizontal balance wheel), 39cm (15.25ins) high. Provenance: Purchased by the vendors father in Henley-on-Thames circa 1946. The current lantern clock is highly distinctive and has numerous unusual details many of which, in combination, are generally only seen on examples made during the 'first period' of English lantern clock manufacture (ie. clocks made before the Civil War). Firstly with regards to the movement, the strike train utilises a double-cut hoop wheel for locking, the countwheel is also forged from iron and is driven by a separate six-leaf pinion of report applied to the main wheel arbor (rather than being pins filed integral to the end of the arbor). The forged bell spring, check and hammer are also particularly heavy in their construction with the check being of early straight heavily-tapered form (rather than 'L'-shaped). The going train has been largely rebuilt (at the time of conversion to long pendulum regulation) to facilitate longer-duration however the original starwheel survives and is unusual being made from iron. In addition to these details it is worth noting that the pulleys are constructed with the centre and one cheek being of brass and the other cheek being of iron, and the arbors (where original) are heavily tapered with slightly stepped integral collets. When these details are considered within the descriptive list of features found on 'first period' clocks outlined in White, George English Lantern Clocks (pages 98-108) it becomes clear that the current movement originates from within this early timeframe. With regards to the frame and dial, the latter is unusual in that the upper and lower edges lap against the top and bottom plate edges (rather than the plate sitting within the space between), and is secured to the upper margin of the front movement pivot plate via a pinned iron tenon. This method of fixing again originated during the 'first period' of lantern clock manufacture (although was also a popular amongst later West Country makers). The design of the centre engraving to the dial falls into the category described in Loomes, Brian LANTERN CLOCKS & Their Makers in Chapter 2 entitled Engraved Dial Patterns - Starburst, Compass Rose, egg & Dart (pages 10-27). Indeed the 'starburst' motif seen on the current dial has its roots in Continental Renaissance work and is generally only seen on the earliest English lantern clocks. Of notable comparative interest is a clock illustrated by Loomes on page 27 (Figs. 2.43-.45) which, in addition to having related (but simpler) engraving to the dial centre, also has similar frame castings and is signed W, S. In addition to this two further clocks exhibiting the same essential composition to the dial engraving are illustrated in Darken, Jeff and Hooper, John English 30 Hour Clocks, Origin & Development, 1600-1800 on pages 25 (Plate 1/12) and 30 (Plate I/18). These examples are both dated to around 1635 with the first being signed for William Bowyer and the second for William Selwood. Interestingly the chapter ring of the current lot also shares the same design of half-hour markers seen on both these examples. An addition to the starburst engraved centre a further detail within the dial that supports an early date is the engraved infill to each corner. Although this decoration is relatively naive in its execution it has an intensity and 'feel' to the scrollwork and hatching that is more akin to early first period work and can perhaps be compared to the infill seen on the dial of a very early clock by Robert Harvey illustrated in Loomes on page 20 (Fig. 2.24). This generally differs from infill seen on later examples which tends to be more 'formulaic' in composition and based on naturalistic leafy motifs either taking the form of a cluster of broad leaves or, as often seen in mid-century West Country work, a single sweeping leafy scroll. Incidentally the front fret of the present clock is notable in that it is a pattern exclusively found of 'first period' clocks and was in particular favoured by William Bowyer (see White, George, English Lantern Clocks page 75). The fret itself is comprehensively engraved apparently by the same hand as the dial; the side and rear frets are later replacements cast from the front fret. The frame of the present clock is notable in that the dimensions exactly conform with that of a first period clock attributed to the workshop of Richard Milbourne which was sold in these rooms on Thursday 15th March 2018 (lot 112). This coupled with the fact that both of these frames share the same basic design of one-piece castings for the columns, feet and finials (as well as having rounded blocks and the junctions with the plates) would suggest that they are from the same foundry. On closer examination however a couple of detail differences between these two frames can be seen. The first observation is that the shape of the 'body' of each of the finials of the current lot differs from those of the 'Milbourne' clock in that they are more ovoid in shape (i.e. are not of tapered shouldered form). This fatter ovoid shape of finial is closer in form to those seen on the very earliest lantern clocks such as those by Robert Harvey, William Bowyer and Henry Stevens as illustrated in White, George English Lantern Clocks on page 49 (Figure II/13), 82 (Figure II/92) and 83 (Figures II/96). The second difference is in the spacing of the ring collar to the capital of each of the columns with those of the present clock being higher-up the column shaft (ie. closer to the capital) than those on the 'Milbourne' clock. From these observations it would be reasonable to suggest that the present frame castings are perhaps an earlier variant of those used for the 'Milbourne' clock. To read more, please refer to the full lot description in the page turning catalogue via the link here. Condition Report: Condition reports for this lot are available from the Clocks Department upon request (clocks@dreweatts.com). Condition Report Disclaimer