Tall case clock
Artist/Culture
Simon Willard
(American, 1753–1848)
Date1790–1800
Mediummahogany, brass, glass
Dimensions252.4 × 50.2 × 25.2 cm (99 3/8 × 19 3/4 × 9 15/16 in.)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineBequest of Miss Bessie S. Paine
Object number1945.58
DescriptionThis Federal style tall case clock has pierced fretwork with thistle-like motifs. This braces three rectangular plinths with double beading on the front surfaces' edges, each supporting gold-plated brass spike finials. It is probable that these have been replaced. Free fluted Doric columns are on either side of the dial doors, with gold-plated brass capitals, bases, and some inlay in the bottom half of the column's shafts. There are two more free columns on back corners, but these are not carved. There is beveled molding on the front and sides of the hood, with a rounded arch that is continous with the dial door and a knop on the left side of the dial door frame. On the clock face, a pastoral scene with a shepherdess is painted in an oval frame with flourishes on either side, matching flowers and flourishes that are painted in the spandrels. The second bit is missing, but the the engraved plated of the semi-circle calendar aperture is intact. [Simon Willard] is painted beneath the winding hole and arbor. Beveled molding connects the hood to the trunk, and the front corners of the trunk have a larger-scale version of the free columns on the hood. The edges of the trunk door are beveled, as is the molding between the trunk and base. There is beading on the base panel in the shape of a square with concave corners. Four bracket feet support the clock. The rear surface is not accessible, but images of an original label for the clockmaker's business affixed to the rear panels is available.Label Text2005-08-30: TALL CASE CLOCK, about 1800 Simon Willard. 1753-1848 Roxbury, Massachusetts Mahogany case Bequest of Eliza Sturgis Paine, 1945.58 Simon Willard was America's most famous clockmaker. Born in Grafton, Massachusetts in 1753, he learned his craft from his older brother Benjamin. In 1783, Willard moved his business to Roxbury, where he continued to repair and manufacture timepieces for the next fifty-five years, and died at the age of ninety-five in Boston. Tall case clocks, such as this, are the only products of Willard's shop that he marked with printed-paper labels. The label on the inside of this piece includes directions to setting the works in motion, a price list for the various types of clock that Willard manufactured, and an enthusiastic advertisement for his timepieces, "made in the best manner.ProvenanceMiss Bessie Paine, Brookline, MA;
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