A FINE AND RARE GEORGE III SMALL SATINWOOD BANDED MAHOGANY L...

Estimate

£4,000 - £6,000

A FINE AND RARE GEORGE III SMALL SATINWOOD BANDED MAHOGANY LONGCASE REGULATOR OF ONE-MONTH DURATIONTHOMAS WRIGHT, LONDON, CIRCA 1785-90The substantial six knopped pillar movement with thick plates incorporating rounded upper angles measuring 7.75 by 5.5 inches, enclosing a five-wheel train with Harrison's maintaining power, five-spoke wheel crossings and terminating with a Graham-type deadbeat escapement, regulated by large lenticular bob seconds pendulum with T-bar suspension, Hindley-type cranked crutch arrangement and Wright's patent stirrup-frame type compensation to the bob, incorporating a pair of horizontal bimetallic bars, calibrated rating nut and a secondary small spherical fine-adjustment bob beneath, the 10 inch heavy-gauge silvered brass break-arch dial with subsidiary seconds and signature over conforming Roman numeral hour dial to centre, within outer minute ring incorporating Arabic five minute annotations, with blued steel hands beneath a shallow semi-elliptical arch signed WRIGHT, the heavy satinwood crossbanded case constructed in the manner of Gillows with shaped panel upstand to the moulded swan-neck pediment, over break-arch architrave and glazed hinged dial aperture with crossbanded border to the frame and flanked by crisply executed free-standing fluted Roman Doric columns, the sides with rectangular glazed apertures and half columns applied adjacent to the rear edge, the trunk with concave throat moulding and plain frieze over ogee-break-arch door fronted with flame-figured veneer within a satinwood border and astragal edge moulding, flanked by tall fluted full Roman Doric columns set on banded plinths, the plinth base with stepped ogee top moulding over conforming shaped crossbanded astragal-bordered panel to fascia and ogee bracket feet. 216cm (85ins) high, 46cm (18ins) wide, 26cm (10.25ins) deep.Literature:Illustrated in Symonds, R.W. A Book of English Clocks page 79 (Plates 68B and 70).The inside of the door applied with a manuscript table (to assist with the regulation the timepiece from astronomical observations) further inscribed in ink;The stars make 36 revolutions from any point in the universe to the same point again in 365 days & one minute and therefore they gain a 365th of a revolution in every 24 hours of mean solar time, near enough for regulating any clock or watch. This acceleration is at the rate of three minute and fifty-five seconds, fifty three thirds, fifty nine fourths, in twenty four hours or in the nearest round number three minutes fifty six seconds, by which quantity of time every star comes round sooner than it did on the day before.With further note beneath:This timepiece was purchased from Miss Wright, daughter of the maker Mr. Wright Watchmaker to the King George the third. G. Hurt bought this clock in September 1795 for twenty guineas.Thomas Wright was born in London in 1736 and gained his Freedom of the Clockmakers' Company in 1770. He was a gifted watch and clockmaker who was appointed 'watchmaker to the King'; with a fine Matthew Boulton blue john and ormolu-cased quarter chiming table clock being one of his Royal Commissions - which resides at Buckingham Palace (see Jagger, Cedric ROYAL CLOCKS page 98, Plate 134). In 1781 Thomas Earnshaw sought Wright's opinion with regards to his design of detached watch escapement. Wright subsequently commissioned a watch incorporating the design from Earnshaw, which he then put on test for a year. The results were clearly impressive as Wright then assisted Earnshaw by overseeing the patenting of the design with his payment agreed in the form a royalty of one guinea per watch made with the escapement. The Patent (No. 1354) was granted on 1st February 1783 and interestingly also included the ingenious design of compensated pendulum bob employed in the present timepiece. Thomas Wright died in 1792 it is highly likely that the present regulator was in his possession at that time and was passed down to his daughter.In addition to the quality of the movement, dial and the innovative pendulum, the case is also notable in its quality - particularly in the crispness of the carving to the columns and mouldings. Indeed, the general design would appear to have more in common with the northern school of case makers (certainly with regards to the treatment of the pediment) hence it there is a possibility be that Wright may have ordered it from one of the leading north country case makers. The obvious candidate that springs to mind would be Gillows of Lancaster, and indeed the quality of the cabinet work would certainly add weight to this thought. One interesting feature the case has which further points towards an attribution to Gillows is the planting of half columns towards the rear edges of the hood, as it is known that Gillows preferred to use half columns rather than quarters to dress the rear edge.