Stock No.

Exhibit No.9

Height

23 inches (584 mm); 35 inches (889 mm), including bracket

Case

The architectural flat-back case, the design attributed to John Webb (1611-1672) and veneered in Brazilian rosewood onto a solid rosewood carcass, with long-grain mouldings to the shallow dome top, surmounted by a well-cast and chased gilt-brass figure of Minerva, holding a spear and a shield depicting the head of Medusa, and flanked by four octagonal pedestals with early giltbrass pineapple finials. The full architecturally moulded entablature with drip-moulding, over a frieze with a gilt grotesque mask centering two swags mounted to the front, all supported by three-quarter multi-piece Corinthian stop-fluted columns to the front and matching quarter-columns to the rear, both sides inset with fretted access doors hinged to the rear, all above an architectural moulded plinth. The whole case resting on a replica matching
rosewood veneered inverted-bell-shaped bracket with a blind fret apronfronted drawer, graduating down to a further inverted gilt-brass finial below.

Dial

The 8¼ inch (210 mm) square brass dial with original mercury fire-gilding, typically to the visible areas, in this instance over the scribe-lined edge only. The corners with superbly chased winged cherub spandrels, each fixed with a single screw and riveted steady pin onto the dial plate, in the usual Fromanteel workshop fashion. The narrow silvered brass chapter ring engraved with an inner quarter division ring, Roman hour numerals with large, stylised fleur-de-lys half-hour marks, and outer Arabic minutes marked every 5, within the division ring. The finely matted centre with a large square-chamfered date aperture above VI, shuttered winding holes and well-sculpted hands in blued steel. The whole dial held to the movement frontplate by four dial feet with beautiful swan-neck latches.

Movement

The rectangular movement with eight finned baluster pillars, with swanneck latches to the split frontplate, divided down the centre for the lower half of the two trains but narrower at the top on the IX side for the strike train; the going train with bolt-and-shutter maintaining power, activated by a curved, pivoted lever protruding from the centre of the movement on the III side. The knife-edge verge escapement with a single-footed backcock and short bob pendulum, without a holdfast, as seemingly appropriate to a wall mounted clock; the strike train controlled by an external countwheel engraved with Arabic hours, driven by a pinion-of-report and mounted high on the backplate, striking the hours on the horizontally-mounted bell
above. The backplate with a straight early cursive signature across the centre Johannes Fromanteel Londini and otherwise plain, held to the case by dial turns behind III and IX.

Duration

8 days

Provenance

Private collection Marrakech, Morroco;
2013 sold by Bobinet for £450,000;
John C Taylor Collection, inventory no.82

Escapement

Knife-edge verge with short bob pendulum