An incredible, mahogany tall case clock by Jeremiah Standring. Often called “Grandfather Clocks”, tall case clocks were a focal point of any house. Often in the foyer of a home or a living room, clocks like this spoke to one’s success and financial capabilities. There can be no doubt, this clock achieves that goal and then some.
When seeing this clock for the first time, one’s eye dances all over it. The face is absolutely incredible. The use of brass with nickel plated accents really make it “pop”. Look at the detail and all of the engraving. WOW! However, the skill of the maker is not limited to the dial. The case may be even better!
Starting at the top, look at all of the carving. From the rosettes on the broken arch to the half circles “hanging” off the molding, the cabinet maker’s skills are on full display. What skill and vision! The bonnet is so complex that it makes the fluted quarter columns look almost pedestrian. (Normally the waist is one of the focal points of a clock. While the waist here is very pretty, it is completely overshadowed by a complex bonnet and base which is fantastic!) However, it is the base in its “simplicity” that steals the show. The base is a classic design with what appears to be masonry work on the edges, or “quoining”. Quoining is a visual affect at an angle or edge of a wall that creates a “strong accent”. Well, that objective was achieved! It looks so real. Just like a stone mason had laid the pieces himself. STUNNING!
Overall, the clock is 8’ 3 ½” tall, 24” wide at the bonnet, 11” deep at the bonnet. The waist is 16 ¼” wide. The finish has a beautiful luster and a lot of age to it, at least 125 years and probably more. The only replacements are the finials and the feet. However, there is a bit of the original blocking remaining on the feet to show that it did have ogee bracket feet originally. We based the look of them on the remnants. The works are 8 day and have been professionally refurbished. Lastly, there is some scratching on the lower part of the door. Normally, one might find this distracting. In this case, it took us a good 10 minutes to notice it because the impact the clock makes is so overwhelming.
Lastly, the clock was made by Jeremiah Standring of Bolton, England. He is a known cabinet maker of great skill. He appears to have stopped working somewhere around 1770 but appears to have been producing simpler clocks in his later years. This clock is Chippendale in style. He must have had access to Thomas Chippendale’s book soon after it was published in the late 1750’s. That means this is a high style and early Chippendale clock. Thus it was probably made somewhere before 1765 and after 1758. Here is a link to more information on him,http://www.boltonclockmaker.org/jeremiah-standring-1741-1770/.
All in all, this is a fantastic clock. From the incredible cabinetry work to beautiful face, this clock commands one attention. It is only a word but it perfectly describes this clock….beautiful.
Price: $7495
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