Beschreibung:

A fine and well documented William and Mary brass lantern clock Thomas Veale, Chew Magna, dated (16)92 The posted countwheel bell-striking movement with verge escapement and short bob pendulum swinging outside the frame to the rear, the dial with central vestigial alarm disc concealing an area of practice engraving with initials TV above 92 and further inscribed Clean'd Feb. 19, '3, '94 within symmetrical foliate tulip engraved infill and with pierced brass hand within applied Roman numeral chapter ring with stylised fleur-de-lys half hour markers, the angles engraved with bands of concentric brickwork, the 'Bristol' frame with one-piece column turned corner posts beneath lion and unicorn armorial engraved and pierced frets, integral multi-knopped tall vase-and-cover turned finials and domed bell bearer, with brass side doors, iron backplate and hanging hoop above spurs to rear, on tall disc-knopped ball feet, 40cm (15.75ins) high. Thomas Veale's dates are collated in Loomes Brian Lantern Clocks & Their Makers page 307 where it is noted that;- 'Bellchambers records his freedom at Bristol in 1652. Moore records him as being of Bristol in 1660 when he was a bondsman to a marriage. George White records his marriage at Chew Magna 1656 to Charity Plaister. He was working to at least 1697. He left sons John and James, but no clocks are yet recorded by them'. The current lot utilises frame castings that were favoured by the Chew Valley school of clockmakers with the earliest surviving dated example made by Edward Webb of Chew Stoke in 1676 (private collection). Several other clocks by Webb are known with dates ranging from 1678-93, with all of the documented examples sharing the same frame castings. These castings were also used by Edward Bilbie of Chew Stoke (who is believed to have succeeded Edward Webb in around 1695) for his earlier lantern clocks, long after Bristol makers had tended to opt for castings more closely related to London work of the period. The on-going use of this pattern of frame suggests that they were cast locally, perhaps initially by Edward Webb at his foundry in Chew Stoke (which was just over a mile from Thomas Veale's home at Denny Farm, Chew Magna), then by the Bilbie family after Webb's death in 1694. Of Thomas Veale five lantern clocks are documented, with all but one dated and made within the timespan 1692-7. All these examples share the same basic frame castings and are signed with the initials TV either behind the alarm disc or chapter ring. These examples can be found and compared in the following sources; White, George English Lantern Clocks page 230 fig. V/35 (undated example), page 231 figs. V/36 (the current lot) and V/38 (dated '97 -detail of dial only). Bruce, Bill and Hooper, John EARLY ENGLISH LANTERN CLOCKS 1615-1700 page 50 (dated 1692). Darken, Jeff and Hooper John English 30 Hour Clocks page 92 figs. 2/66 and 2/67 (dated '95). All of the four dated examples share similar engraving executed with scrolling foliage issuing from a central point at the base of the dial centre, continuing symmetrically around the alarm disc and terminating with a central flowerhead motif at the top. The angles are decorated with the same concentric brickwork infill. The undated example (White, George English Lantern Clocks page 230 fig. V/35) departs a little from the above similarities by incorporating larger more abstract scroll-work towards the lower margin of the dial centre and terminates with a female mask at twelve o'clock. It is perhaps interesting to compare this example with those made by Edward Webb during the 1680's which tend exhibit the same basic design within the engraving; which was strongly influenced by the work of Thomas Brown of Bristol during the 1650's (see White, George English Lantern Clocks page 232). From this observation it would be perhaps reasonable to suggest that the undated example is probably the earliest surviving example of his work and may pre-date 1680. The current lot also