Johannes Fromanteel Londini Fecit

Johannes Fromanteel Londini Fecit, circa 1665. Very fine and highly important Charles II, ebony veneered hour striking, early long case clock with date. Architectural, ebony veneered on oak with moulded panels, the base formerly with bun feet, the top with four Corinthian columns, glazed side panels and surmounted with a triangular pediment. Silvered chapter ring with Roman numerals, outer Arabic minute ring and half-hour divisions, winged cherub spandrels, matted centre with date aperture above VI. Blued steel hands. Brass weight driven with shaped and latched plates, turned pillars, with early convertion to anchor escapement and long pendulum. Signed below the dial. In very good condition. Dim. 184 cm., dial diam. 21 cm. Notes This historic long case clock in an example of the first "grandfather" clocks to be made. They were the direct result of Huygens' application of pendulum to clockwork in Holland in 1657. Johannes returned from Holland in May 1658 with details of the invention and with his father started to make these superb small architectural long cases. The design of the ebony case has recently been tentatively attributed to Christopher Wren. Only about twelve of these clocks are known to have survived and most are in English public collections, including The British Museum, The Science Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum, The National Maritime Museum and The History of Science Museum, Oxford. There are perhaps as few as six architectural long case clock Read more…