A fine and Rare William and Mary small figured walnut eight-day longcase clock Christopher Gould, London, circa 1690 The six finned and latched pillar bell-striking movement with plates measuring 7.75 by 5.5 inches and anchor escapement regulated by seconds pendulum, the strike train with external countwheel for sounding the hour on a bell mounted above the plates, the 10.25 inch square brass dial with ringed winding holes to the finely matted and rose engraved centre within applied silvered Roman numeral chapter ring with stylised sword hilt half hour markers and Arabic five minutes to the narrow outer track, with scroll pierced sculpted steel hands and winged cherub mask and scroll cast spandrels to angles incorporating leafy trail engraved infill decoration between and signed Chr' Gould, Londini fecit to lower margin, the case with generous projecting ogee cornice and foliate scroll pieced frieze fret to the entablature above hinged glazed dial aperture flanked by Solomonic columns, the sides with rectangular glazed windows and conforming quarter columns set against bargeboards at the rear, the trunk with convex throat over 41 inch rectangular door veneered in burr walnut, with scroll cast brass key escutcheon mount and bordered by crossgrain D-mouldings, the sides with three crossbanded panels, the plinth base with stepped ogee top moulding over crossbanded burr-figured front panel and bun feet, 190cm (74.75ins) high. Although Christopher Gould is generally regarded as one of the leading makers from the 'Golden Period' of English clockmaking relatively little is known about him. He is recorded in Loomes, Brian Clockmakers of Britain 1286-1700 as being made Free Brother of the Clockmakers' Company in April 1682 and is believed to have been married to Mary Rand in January 1684. Gould took many apprentices including Andrew Clarke (through Daniel Stevens) in 1682; Thomas Cartwright (through Richard Watts) in 1693 and Charles Gould (son of John Gould of Middlemarsh, Dorset) in 1701. In 1697 Gould signed the Clockmakers' Company oath of allegiance and is thought to have married his second wife, Jane Cosham, in 1702. In 1713 Gould was made a Beadle but had become destitute (was declared bankrupt in 1706) and received a charity pension from the Company until his death in 1718. His widow subsequently received the pension until at least 1720 when it is thought she paid off a debt of £5 19s 4d to the estate of the watch casemaker, William Jacques. Many examples of Gould's work survive and are generally of very high quality in both their construction and design. Most notable are a series of miniature longcase clocks, an example of which is illustrated in Dawson, Percy G.; Drover C.B. and Parkes D.W. Early English Clocks on page 289 (Plate 402). In addition Gould is also known for his miniature hooded wall timepieces (see Early English Clocks pages 491-92, Plates 726-28) as well as at least two surviving magnificent 'mulberry' veneered grande-sonnerie striking longcase clocks with cases supplied by Tompion's casemaker (see Darken, Jeff Ed. Horological Masterworks pages 198-203). The movement of the current clock is finely made with six latched pillars and the case can perhaps be justified in being described as perfect in its proportions. Furthermore the use of fine figured veneers uninterrupted by a lenticle (or any other form of decoration) exhibits a degree of restrained sophistication that places it amongst the best examples of the period. Indeed it is suggested by Percy Dawson in Early English Clocks (on page 267) that the generous use of fine tightly figured walnut arguably reached it height during the 1690's, with two cases, both dating to around 1690 and housing movements by Tompion and East, being subsequently pictured on page 279 (Plates 379-80) to illustrate his observations. The case of the present lot would certainly sit alongside the two illustrated by Dawson and also benefits from having particularly fine mellow colour and patination.