A&J THWAITES, Clerkenwell, London c1790
Description:
An exceptionally small and elegant George III longcase clock of the most unusual design. The case is veneered in flame mahogany which has now achieved a wonderful colour and excellent patination. Standing on a double plinth, there is a panelled base and ogee shaped trunk door. The hood is canted to the corners with grooves and inset brass spines. Above the ogee shaped door is intricate pierced fretwork rising to a swan neck pediment with three moulded and grooved blocks, each supporting a wooden ball finial. The engraved and silvered brass dial is based on a ten inch format with a strike silent in the ogee arch flanked by the maker’s signature. The substantial and bespoke five pillar eight day duration movement has a deadbeat escapement and hours strike on a bell. The clock is complete with the original brass cased weights and pendulum. Ainsworth and his son John Thwaites are recorded as working in Rosoman Street, Clerkenwell, London during the last quarter of the eighteenth century. Ainsworth made the Horse Guards clock and also a very fine pair of longcase clocks for the India Office. John, who had been apprenticed to his father in 1772, was appointed Master in 1815.
Clockmaker: A&J THWAITES, Clerkenwell, London
Circa: 1790
Stock Number: 3846
Height: 81 inches (206 cm.)