A mid-17th Century Tabernacle form gilt brass striking and a...

Estimate

£1,500 - £2,000

A mid-17th Century Tabernacle form gilt brass striking and alarm table clock, case possibly German, the architectural tabernacle form case with top white metal fretwork gallery supported on four stepped columns, on stepped plinth base, raised upon lion paw feet, silvered Roman numerated dial with an inner alarm dial and a foliate engraved centre, single steel hand, the rear silvered Arabic dial is for the strike, with a chain fusee movement and verge escapement (chain detached), square section brass pillars, striking on a top mounted bell. Removable side panels with 'Memento Mori' (“Remember you must die” - serving as a reminder of mortality and the ephemeral nature of life) script and skull, coat of arms with latin mottos and scripture including MDCXLVI (1641) date. 28cm high. Tabernacle clocks by clockmakers in Augsburg, Nuremberg, and Paris were particularly known for incorporating memento mori elements.

More Information

Gear trains consists of a great wheel. centre wheel, third wheel and contrate wheel along with ten grooves for fusee chain. Because chain is detached on time fusee we don't know whether it runs. However it appears to be complete otherwise. Possibly runs for less than 8 days.