Antique American Clocks January 2020
401. $600
Biedermeier Vienna, ca. 1850. An early-style case with satinwood inlay banding (satinbaendern) especially noticeable on the backboard. A two-piece porcelain dial with chipping at the three winding arbors in a cast brass piecrust bezel. The pendulum bob is brass front and back, the stick wood. The 38-inch case is mahogany, dark from repeated lacquer applications; there is satin trim around the edges. It appears that it had a carved crest at one time, as is often found on Biedermeiers. The door glass is newer; there are two side glasses. The movement time train is weight-driven while the chime and strike are spring-driven. It is running but the strike is off and needs adjustment; as best I can tell, the strike (to count the hours) actuates but doesn’t follow through. The chime is working (2, 4, 6, and 8 strikes at the quarter-hours) but also needs adjustment to sound bright. As Carroll would say, fixing this is above my pay grade, but one thing I did discover is that there is a lever to silence the chime and strike at the top of the dial. All in all, a beautiful clock. I don’t see that Horton’s has sold a similar model in recent years, but recent sales on the internet can easily exceed $1000 for especially nice ones. $600-$1000.
Thanks
to Ness Ball for letting me know this is a 30-hour clock.