M C Taylor Clocks

Description

This is a beautiful, early 19th century table clock with a mahogany triple-pad top case and painted dial in excellent condition.

The 8 day duration, double gut fusee, 5 pillar movement with attached Verge escapement, rack striking the hours on a top-mounted bell, strike/silent selector, calendar datework and pull repeat striking. Also having a well-executed, profusely engraved backplate, fixing brackets, back cock, apron and silent return leaf spring. The attached pendulum has a regulatory 'pear drop' bob.

Behind a 6 3/4" wide painted iron break-arch dial. The cream background has peacock feather decoration within gilt scrollwork to the corners and the black inked chapter has outer Arabic 5's, a dotted minute track and inner, Roman hour numerals. The centre is signed for the maker above and below centre reading "DENTON" and "HULL". The winding holes have protective brass grommets and the arch has 2 subsidiary chapters, the left depicts the calendar date and the right is the strike/silent selection. The 4 pierced hands are gilt-finished, matching 'open diamond' style. The rear of the arch shows the well-made, crossed out, 31 toothed calendar wheel and the strike/silent carriage.

In a very attractive mahogany case. The break-arch top having 3 pads with quadrant brass framing and the centre one being surmounted with a solid cast brass 'bow' style, swinging carrying handle. The 4 corners each bear a cast brass decorative urn style finial. The returned, all round top moulding sits over the full-size break-arch front locking door that has brass quadrant framing the glass, a key escutcheon and the canted side edges have cast brass, floral style caryatids. The case sides have arched apertures fitted with cloth-backed, cast brass sound frets. The rear has a full-size, locking and glazed break-arch door and the all-round short plinth has a moulded top and sits upon 4 ornately cast, brass splayed feet.

Joseph Denton of Hull was a very well known maker in the East Riding area. He worked from the corner of Silver Street from 1782 until 1814. He was a prolific maker and there is a fusee wall clock made by him in the Castle museum, York.