Height

6 foot 4½ inches (1970 mm)

Case

The slender ebonised pearwood veneered architectural case, the design attributed to John Webb (1611-1672) and of delicate proportions, the rising hood with fine mouldings to the triangular pediment, the tympanum surmountedby three Mannerist urn finials, mounted with a gilt-brass cartouche flanked by hunting figures with dogs and hawks. The plain frieze supported by gilt-brass multi-piece Corinthian capitals on three-quarter tapered ebony columns to the front and matching half columns to the rear. The hood resting on a convex throat moulding above a full-width rectangular raised panelled trunk door fitted directly to the trunk sides, also with matching moulded panels. The plain ebonised pearwood veneered plinth raised on four turned bun feet. In the sometime Fromanteel fashion, the backboard extends above the sides of the triangular hood, but within its apex.

Dial

The 8¼ inch (208 mm) fire-gilded square brass dial, the corners superbly engraved with vegetables, flowers, fruits and ribbons, and signed sequentially Edwardus East and Londini within the lower spandrels. The slender silvered chapter ring with fleur-de-lys half-hours and Arabic minutes, every 5 within the divisions. The finely matted centre, with shuttered winding holes, and original well-sculpted hands in blued steel. The whole dial held to the movement frontplate by four latched dial feet.

Movement

The slender rectangular movement with six finned baluster pillars, latched to the frontplate. The going train with original bolt-and-shutter maintaining power for the verge escapement and short bob pendulum, oscillating above the seatboard; the strike train governed by an external countwheel, mounted direct on the barrel arbor outside the backplate, and striking the hours with a horizontally pivoted hammer on the large vertically mounted bell above. The outer base pillars guided into place by taper pins, the whole resting on typical early seatboard blocks and held to the backboard by a bracket.

Duration

8 days

Provenance

By descent from either Sir Bruce Ingram (d. 1963) or his brother Sir Herbert
Ingram, to the latter’s son:
Michael Ingram (d. 2005), and sold Christie’s, 6 Dec. 2006, lot 112, for
£363,000;
John C Taylor Collection, inventory no.46

Literature

Garnier & Hollis, Innovation & Collaboration, 2018, p.180-181.

Escapement

Knife-edge verge with short bob pendulum