A Fine Steeple-Top Rosewood Library Clock – Circa 1850
£2,850.00
An exceptional quality mid-19th century steeple-top library clock of notably diminutive scale, standing just 25 cm in height. The well-figured rosewood case is confidently drawn, its tapering architectural form rising above a gadrooned base moulding and set upon pad feet. Canted corners to the case lend further refinement.
The silvered dial is richly and profusely inlaid to the centre and between the chapters, an uncommon and decorative treatment that complements the depth and warmth of the rosewood. The restrained layout allows the ornament to enhance rather than overwhelm, preserving the clock’s character while signalling its superior intent.
The movement is of timepiece fusee construction and of a quality fully equivalent to that encountered in marine chronometers. It is fitted with a high-grade English lever platform escapement, complete with an engraved regulation band, permitting precise adjustment. The inclusion of maintaining power further underscores its seriousness of purpose, ensuring continuity of drive during winding. Although wound from the rear, the dial is fitted with a dummy winding square to the front — an intriguing and deliberate conceit that preserves visual symmetry. The execution throughout suggests the work of a highly accomplished hand; one might reasonably speculate that this was the clockmaker’s own personal timepiece, conceived as a demonstration of skill rather than an adaptation of an existing design.
A rare and highly refined example of the Victorian library clock at its most exacting
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