| Height | 12 inches (305 mm). |
| Case | The archetypal Phase II Knibb case has a flat topped cornice moulding below the dome, which has fine repoussé silver dome mounts applied to the front and sides, formed with acanthus leaves, flower heads and a laurel wreath, all surmounted by a silver foliate-tied handle with cupped eight-leaf silver base plates. The sides are glazed, while the front door is applied with typical cast and chased silver S-scroll escutcheons to the vertical stiles, the left pin-hinged, and a silk-backed pierced ebony sound fret to the top rail. The base has conforming plinth mouldings, typically and correctly, without feet. Knibb’s use of silver repoussé dome mounts here is noteworthy; being individually hand-beaten, formed, pierced and chased, the labour required to make them was much higher, but they were produced from lighter weight sheet, and so their application here was almost undoubtedly related to the high cost of silver. |
| Dial | The 6¼ inch square brass dial is covered with early velvet and applied with a delicate solid silver chapter ring with Roman hours, fleur-de-lys half-hour markers and Arabic minutes within the division ring. The silver hour hand is delicately pierced and chamfered whilst the minute hand has a silver boss and shaft but is tipped with blued steel. The centre of the dial is set with the signature plaque which has been finely pierced and engraved with tulips and foliage and signed in an arc Joseph Knibb London. The winding holes are embellished with silver ferrules and the corners are applied with Knibb’s earlier pattern of cast and chased silver winged cherub spandrels. The dial is fixed to the movement by four latched dial feet, and to the case by two typical screw-turns to the back, at III and IX, into the carcass behind the mask. |
| Movement | The delicate plates with six archetypal vase-shaped pillars, five latched and the sixth, central pillar, pinned. The going train has a knife-edge verge and crown wheel escapement with fusee and spring barrel with gut line. The strike train, with conforming gut fusee and barrel, striking the hours on the larger bell, governed by a rack-and-snail. The pull quarter repeat system enables the quarters and hours to be activated at will from either side of the case, the quarters on the smaller bell, via an S-form steel repeat lever on the backplate. The backplate is beautifully engraved with tulip and flower heads amidst scrolling foliage; the signature Joseph Knibb Londini Fecit is set within a foliate cartouche and the pendulum holdfast is mounted to the left side. |
| Duration | 8 days |
| Provenance | RA Lee, Bruton Place, Mayfair, London W1; Acquired circa 1980, by a private collector from Chicago, Illinois; The Keith Roberts collection, inventory no.12 |
| Literature | Exceptional English Clockwork, The Keith Roberts Collection, 2015, p.104-109 Garnier & Hollis, Innovation & Collaboration, 2018, p.302-305 |
| Exhibited | London 2018, Innovation & Collaboration, exhibit no.87. |
The Roberts Knibb. Circa 1680-1685.
An exceptional Charles II ebony and silver-mounted Phase II striking table clock with pull quarter repeat by Joseph Knibb, London.
£425,000
This example is one of only nine from Joseph Knibb’s famous series of Phase II clocks (see page 104). The first was commissioned by Charles II and is dated 1677. As was usual at this time, the king is likely to have chosen the outward specification; ebony-veneered and adorned in silver, with a velvet-backed dial. Thus the King probably started an expensive trend that Knibb was happy to capitalise on. As these were probably his most expensive productions, the Phase II clocks that followed, including this example, would likely only have been made to order for his wealthiest customers.
Although it is not known where RA Lee acquired this clock in the 1970s, scratch marks indicate that it spent the 1730s in France and the majority of the 19th Century in Sweden, which implies the clock was originally commissioned for export. Meanwhile the case has a clockmakers label inside the back door, Husband of Richmond, revealing it returned to North Yorkshire at the end of 19th Century, and further scratch marks show that it remained in England until Lee’s purchase.
Competition with Tompion?
It is interesting that concurrent with the production of Knibb’s first Phase II silver and velvet clock, (The Daniels Knibb, dated 1677), Tompion was also making his first clock commission for Charles II, which was referred to by Robert Hooke in his diary entry of 24th June 1677, as ‘the Kings striking clock’. The only contender to fulfill Hooke’s description is Tompion’s first two-train repeating grande sonnerie clock, The Silver Tompion, and it is probably significant that Tompion finished his clock in silver with a velvet-covered dial, in exactly the same manner as the important royal commission by Knibb of the same date.
That there was an element of competition between these two up-and-coming makers during 1677 seems both likely and logical. As Knibb went on to produce this now famous series of Phase II clocks, we tend to associate this sort of dial application in London with him. However, Tompion had already presented his two Greenwich regulator dials in a similar manner in 1676, but unlike Knibb, the Silver Tompion seems to have been the first and last time Tompion made a domestic clock in this manner. Probably, as was customary for special orders, the king simply specified the same silver and velvet finish from both Knibb and Tompion, but that might also be construed as encouraging the rivalry between them.
Product Description
This example is one of only nine from Joseph Knibb’s famous series of Phase II clocks (see page 104). The first was commissioned by Charles II and is dated 1677. As was usual at this time, the king is likely to have chosen the outward specification; ebony-veneered and adorned in silver, with a velvet-backed dial. Thus the King probably started an expensive trend that Knibb was happy to capitalise on. As these were probably his most expensive productions, the Phase II clocks that followed, including this example, would likely only have been made to order for his wealthiest customers.
Although it is not known where RA Lee acquired this clock in the 1970s, scratch marks indicate that it spent the 1730s in France and the majority of the 19th Century in Sweden, which implies the clock was originally commissioned for export. Meanwhile the case has a clockmakers label inside the back door, Husband of Richmond, revealing it returned to North Yorkshire at the end of 19th Century, and further scratch marks show that it remained in England until Lee’s purchase.
Competition with Tompion?
It is interesting that concurrent with the production of Knibb’s first Phase II silver and velvet clock, (The Daniels Knibb, dated 1677), Tompion was also making his first clock commission for Charles II, which was referred to by Robert Hooke in his diary entry of 24th June 1677, as ‘the Kings striking clock’. The only contender to fulfill Hooke’s description is Tompion’s first two-train repeating grande sonnerie clock, The Silver Tompion, and it is probably significant that Tompion finished his clock in silver with a velvet-covered dial, in exactly the same manner as the important royal commission by Knibb of the same date.
That there was an element of competition between these two up-and-coming makers during 1677 seems both likely and logical. As Knibb went on to produce this now famous series of Phase II clocks, we tend to associate this sort of dial application in London with him. However, Tompion had already presented his two Greenwich regulator dials in a similar manner in 1676, but unlike Knibb, the Silver Tompion seems to have been the first and last time Tompion made a domestic clock in this manner. Probably, as was customary for special orders, the king simply specified the same silver and velvet finish from both Knibb and Tompion, but that might also be construed as encouraging the rivalry between them.
Additional information
| Dimensions | 5827373 cm |
|---|
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