Stock No.

Exhibit No.21

Height

6 foot 9 inches (2057 mm)

Case

The case of ebonised pine in Tompion’s Type 1 format, but with an original forward sliding hood and dial door. The typical main cornice moulding above a frieze with a pierced wood sound fret to the front, supported by mirrored three-quarter Solomonic columns with matching quarter columns to the rear, the hood sides have glazed access doors with concealed ‘secret’ locks, gained only on opening the side-hinged hood door. The hood resting on convex throat mouldings above a rectangular trunk door with three raised panels and a half-round moulded frame. The plain ebonised plinth surmounted by cavetto/ovolo mouldings and resting on four later turned bun feet.

Dial

The 10 inch (254 mm) square gilt brass dial, signed above VI in a scroll engraved reserve Thomas Tompion Londini within the tulip and scroll engraved dial centre, the restored central rosette-engraved silvered alarm disc, set against the tail of the pierced and sculpted blued-steel hand, the silvered chapter ring with a quarter division ring inside large Roman numerals and fleur-de-lys half-hour markers, the corners with single screwed cherub & foliate spandrels. The dial slotted and screwed to the posted frame in the usual manner.

Movement

The posted frame movement of Doric columns, with ball feet and square nuts fixing the bottom and top plates, the trains held within three vertical plates, the outer two of cruciform shape; the going train planted to the front with original knife-edge verge escapement and short bob pendulum; the rear strike train governed by a countwheel mounted on the rear cruciform plate and striking on the large bell, held above by a very sturdy steel stand. The bottom plate drilled for three counterbalanced driving ropes, the rear rope driving an alarm pulley mounted on the inside of the iron backplate.

Duration

30 hour

Provenance

Sotheby’s, 6 June 1996, Lot 389;
Private collection UK;
Sotheby’s, London, 11 March, 2002, lot 184 sold for £42,197;
John C Taylor Collection, inventory no.31

Literature

Horological Masterworks, 2003, p.166-169;
Evans, Thomas Tompion at the Dial and Three Crowns, 2006, listed p.65;
Evans, Carter & Wright, Thomas Tompion 300 Years, 2013, p.456-457, listed
p.593

Escapement

Knife-edge verge with short bob pendulum