Antique American Clocks January 2020
83. $5000
Forestville Mfg. Co. monumental Empire, 1846. I know of six of these clocks: One is in
the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia PA; one is in the American Clock & Watch Museum in Bristol CT; one sold in 2001
at Cottone’s; one sold in 2013 at Schmitt’s; and one sold last November at Schmitt Horan & Co. The sixth example is
right here, waiting for a new home. The case is 41 inches tall in flame mahogany veneer with just a few miniscule chips and
no evident repairs. The dial glass is old, the center tablet is unusual in that it has a mirrored surround, with “Premium Clocks
Bristol Ct. U.S.A.” across the top of the window and “J.C. Brown & Co.” at the bottom. It is certainly original to the clock
and is seen on one other example. The lower door has a very old mirror, and I suspect that the door has either been re-veneered
or is a replacement. The metal dial is a replacement, the hands also old replacements. The cornice has an extra 1-inch
piece of veneered wood on top that may be original to the clock, as the example in the American Clock & Watch Museum also has
an additional piece above the cornice top (see Roberts and Taylor, Jonathan Clark Brown and the Forestville Manufacturing Company,
1988, pages 16-18). There is also a marble shelf that is not an exact fit to the cornice top, and seems likely to be from something
else. The clock looks fine without it. The 8-day, signed brass movement is driven by two 7-lb iron weights that I think
are modern replacements. It is running and striking on a wire gong. There is a good label on the back wall, overpasted
with a jeweler’s service label from long ago. The label matches those found in other examples, and there is a photo in the Roberts
and Taylor book. The example that sold at Schmitt Horan last fall went for $7000; I believe this one is a bit nicer. $5000-$7500.
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