M C Taylor Clocks

Description

A superior quality example of an iconic 'London Mahogany' Longcase clock by Williams.

The substantial 8 day duration, 5 pillar movement with Anchor Recoil escapement and rack striking the hours on a top-mounted bell. Also having strike or silent and matching brass-cased lead weights.

Behind a 12" wide break-arch brass dial. The corners and the arch have the finest quality, high Rococo style cast brass spandrels perfectly encompassing the silvered chapter rings. The narrow but full arch chapter bears the words "STRIKE" and "SILENT" and also has engraved swirls. It has a well-proportioned cut and blued steel selector hand and the centre is silvered. The main chapter ring has outer Arabic 5's numerals, a divided minute circle and inner Roman hour numerals. The dial centre is also silvered and the upper section has a conforming subsidiary seconds dial and the lower section also has a conforming calendar date dial. These both have matching blued steel hands with counterpoised tails. The maker's name: "Williams, London" is beautifully and proudly engraved across the centre in script and old English font and surrounded with ornamental swirls. The hour and minute hands are very finely cut 'Serpentine' style and also blued steel.

The first quality and imposing, Cuban mahogany case of superb colour and patina has a high pagoda top to the hood, a detachable matching crest and brass ball and spire finial. It has a red cloth-backed wooden sound fret below the arched top and fluted side blocks carrying a further 2 ball and spire finials. The glazed and locking break-arch hood door sits within an ornate top moulding, lower moulding and is flanked with tapered, fluted and reeded pillars with brass capitals. These are repeated in quarters fixed to ear boards to the rear and the sides have rectangular sound apertures with red cloth-backed wooden frets. The large Cavetto shaped throat sits over the full-length and raised, 'bridge top' locking trunk door that has a flame veneer, crossbanding to the sides and a well-formed and elaborate edge moulding. The front corners have fluted and reeded quarter pillars upon pedestal blocks and brass quarter capitals. The base has a large Cavetto moulding to the top and a raised flame veneered front panel with well-formed edge moulding with scalloped corners. It sits upon a full London, double plinth with a shaped bottom.

It would be difficult to find a finer example than this, not only is it totally original but aesthetically superb in proportion, colour, figuring and patination. The richness in appearance is astounding and it is a magnificent testament to English Clockmaking from the 'Golden Period'. The maker was most probably John Williams who was a member of the Clockmaker's Company from 1768 until 1802.