Dutch Musical Longcase Clock

Period

ca. 1740

Material

oak frame and burr walnut veneer

Sizes

(height) 283.00cm. (width) 27.00cm. (Length) 52.00cm.

Description

The clockwork
A full calender clock; moon-work, date, day and month and a musical-work with 12 melodies. Going train with ‘anchor’ escapement and rack striking train with two chimes. Strikes on hours and half hours.
The clockwork is not signed.

The casing
The casing rests on a base with oblate sphere feet and inlay decorations. The centre part has a door decorated with inlaid rims, carving and cast bronze scutcheon representing King David playing the lyre harp.
The door of the dial is flanked by two pilars with bronze capitals. The front and the side of the top part are decorated with openwork. The four statuettes on the top represent respectively; Time, Time , Atlas and Fama.

A possible interpretation of the statuettes; central theme is the time going by [Time with scythe and hourglass]. The other three are the different phases of human life to emphasize this; the juvenile Fama to represent youth, Atlas representing adulthood and the prime of life and old father time with scythe and snake for old age.