James McGregor, Edinburgh. – 1835
£6,850.00
A good and rare mahogany small drop dial wall clock by James McGregor of West Register Street, Edinburgh, dating to around 1835. Clocks of this form and character are far less frequently encountered than timepiece examples.
The crisply carved mahogany case is of a rich, well-matured colour, the lower door gently curved and inset with cock beading which neatly echoes the shape of the trunk. The carving — festoons of acorns and oak leaves — is confidently executed and gives the piece a restrained but unmistakably Scottish vigour. The rear box is fitted with twin doors incorporating sound frets, a practical and attractive feature which complements the striking work within.
The 8″ silvered dial is signed to the centre by the maker and is well proportioned to the case. Behind it sits an extremely well-finished twin fusee movement striking the hours on a bell. Of particular interest is the movement layout: it is constructed in the manner of a bracket clock, complete with a securing bracket to attach it rigidly into the case and mounted on a seatboard. This arrangement suggests that the movement may originally have been conceived for a bracket clock format, and was supplied as a special order as the case has to be a little deeper to accommodate the bell. The steel pendulum with brass bob is well made and appropriately scaled to the compact proportions of the clock.
West Register Street itself lay at the commercial heart of Edinburgh’s New Town in the early nineteenth century — a district of professional offices, booksellers, and specialist trades rather than purely domestic occupation. A maker trading from such an address was positioning himself amongst the city’s mercantile and professional clientele. This clock reflects that context: practical, refined, and intended for a discerning urban customer rather than purely provincial consumption.
At 19″ high, 12″ wide and 7″ deep, this is a compact and unusually refined example of an Edinburgh drop dial — rare in this size and with a movement of such evident quality.
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