Richard Savage, Salop – Early 18th Century
£4,250.00
A particularly characterful early eighteenth-century oak longcase clock by Richard Savage of Salop (Shrewsbury), standing an impressive 212 cm in height. The case is notably slender in proportion, rising to an architectural pediment inset with a finely bobbin-turned fruitwood finial — a detail that lends both vertical emphasis and regional individuality. The glazed hood door is flanked by matching bobbin-turned pillars, echoing the finial above, while the trunk retains its moulded door and stands upon a simple box base. The overall impression is one of restrained vernacular confidence, the design guided more by proportion and craftsmanship than metropolitan fashion.
The 10-inch square brass dial is of pleasing early form, fitted with masked spandrels and a silvered chapter ring framing a finely matted and engraved centre. The engraving is crisp yet not overworked, maintaining the practical clarity expected of a provincial timepiece. The dial layout, compact yet well balanced, sits harmoniously within the slender hood — a proportion often lost in later, more expansive eighteenth-century cases.
The weight-driven 30-hour movement is particularly noteworthy. Constructed with brass plates and striking the hours on a bell, it is fitted with turned, ringed steel pillars — an unusual and telling detail. Savage is recognised for his extensive and confident use of steelwork, a trait more commonly associated with lantern clocks and earlier seventeenth-century traditions. The anchor escapement reflects the gradual transition from balance and verge systems toward the greater stability of pendulum regulation, placing this clock firmly within the early decades of the eighteenth century when provincial makers were refining established forms rather than reinventing them.
Richard Savage of Salop occupies an interesting position among provincial makers. His known preference for steel elements — particularly evident in lantern clocks — suggests a craftsman comfortable working beyond purely brass construction. In this longcase, that same sensibility is preserved in the structural detailing of the movement, lending it a quiet robustness. The combination of vernacular oak case, disciplined dial work, and mechanically distinctive movement results in a clock that is both regionally authentic and technically engaging — a fine survival of early provincial English horology.
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