Antique American Clocks January 2021
99. $2000
John Taber (attr.) tall shelf/mirror clock. There is no signature or label on this clock,
but it very much resembles two other John Taber shelf clocks, one of which sold last fall at Fairfield Auction for $2600. The
other sold in 2001 at Cottone’s and came from the collection of Peter Zaharis. Taber is listed in American Clockmakers &
Watchmakers and worked out of southern Maine; he used iron plate movements with brass gears, as found here. The 37-inch by 12.5-inch
walnut? case is stamped “R.B. Taft” on the inside of the door, the case, and on the back; Taft may be a previous owner, as the imprint
does not look old. It is also possible that Taft built the case and fitted the original door to it, as there is some difference
between the finishes. The front of the case is veneered in mahogany with two free-standing square columns on each side; the
sides of the case appear to be walnut. There is a scroll top and four corner wooden finials with one center finial. The
interior is painted a distinctive green color also seen in the other two Taber shelf clocks, with a wooden dial painted in the same
pattern as the other two (with leaves in the corners) and with very distinctive hand-crafted hands. The dial glass is old but
not early 1800’s, and the mirror also is old. There is repair label from a shop in Portland, Maine from the early 1900’s. There is no weight with this clock, but I hung a banjo weight and it ran for a few minutes. $2000-$3000.
