EARDLEY NORTON, London c1775
Description:
An exceptionally fine George III three-train musical bracket clock by an eminent maker. The brass-bound, bell top case is veneered with richly figured mahogany and the chamfered and grooved corners emphasize the elegant proportions. Above the door are finely pierced and engraved sound frets. The upper corners are mounted with four flambea finials with a larger finial surmounting the case. There are brass carrying handles to either side of the case. The three-train fusée movement has a verge escapement and fine rococo engraving around the maker’s signature. The music is played on a nest of 16 hammers with a separate bell for the hour strike. The ogee brass dial is mounted with a silvered chapter ring with rococo spandrels to the corners. The upper segment includes the maker’s signature flanked by subsidiary dials for chime/not chime and choice of four tunes. Eardley Norton, a most highly esteemed member of the Clockmakers’ Company, was working between 1762 and 1794. There are clocks by him in the Royal Collection and many museums worldwide. This special clock is identical to the Eardley Norton musical bracket clock illustrated on the front cover of Georgian Bracket Clock by Richard Barder. Norton made an astronomical clock for George III which still stands in Buckingham Palace.
Clockmaker: EARDLEY NORTON, London
Circa: 1775
Stock Number: 3750
Height: 21 inches (53 cm.)