Richard Comber of Lewes – Circa 1775
£7,500.00
Richard Comber of Lewes was working at a confident point in his career when this honey-coloured oak eight-day longcase was made, circa 1775 — some fifteen years after completing his apprenticeship to the renowned Lewes maker William Kemp. By this stage, Comber had developed a distinct and assured style, blending the structural discipline of the Lewes school with personal refinements that set his work apart. The 12-inch break-arch dial reflects this maturity: his signature appears in restrained capitals within the subsidiary seconds ring, set against a plain silvered centre. Beneath, a semi-circular aperture reveals the date on a rotating disc, while the arch provides strike/silent selection — a practical refinement for domestic life.
The dial furniture is characteristically Comber. Time is indicated by a pair of crisply cut steel hands of a pattern used almost exclusively by him, their precision echoing the disciplined geometry of the chapter ring. This is enclosed by six cast brass spandrels of his own distinctive design, reinforcing the sense of an individual maker confident in his visual language. The eight-day movement is constructed to his usual exemplary standard, with thick brass plates united by five knopped pillars to his unique pattern. The heavy brass-faced bob pendulum is supported by the substantial back cock closely associated with his work, while power is supplied by two brass-cased weights — all contributing to a movement of strength and longevity.
The light honey-coloured oak case is finely proportioned and crossbanded in mahogany to both trunk and base, executed with a precision that allows little margin for error. The restrained palette and careful detailing give the clock quiet authority rather than ostentation. Taken as a whole, the piece leaves the clear impression of a maker of exceptional quality and imagination — firmly rooted in the Lewes tradition, yet unmistakably individual in execution.
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