David Collier late 18th-century inlaid mahogany longcase clock
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
late 18th Century
This late 18th-century longcase clock is attributed to maker David Collier of Eccles, measuring 228 cm high in an inlaid mahogany case. The hood displays a swan-neck pediment with inlaid flowerhead disc terminals, a line-inlaid frieze, and knopped turned columns framing a 14-inch square painted dial.
The dial features Roman hours, Arabic minutes, an axe-head rolling moon decorated with a tall-masted ship and gate-house in a landscape, painted rams, a terrestrial calendar crescent, and Collier's signature. Bonhams reports that the eight-day movement features an anchor escapement, rack-striking on a bell, and a false-plate cast 'WILSON'. The trunk is fitted with an ogee-arched door beneath a frieze of three bat's wing paterae.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Technical characteristics
- Type
- Longcase clock
- Dial Size
- 14-inch square
- Escapement
- Anchor escapement
- Overall Height
- 228cm high
- Place recorded
- United Kingdom
- Maker Inscription
- D. Collier Eccles
- Movement Duration
- 8-day
- Striking Mechanism
- Rack-striking on a bell
- False plate Casting
- WILSON
- Maker / attribution
- David Collier
Design
- Visible features
- • Full front view of an inlaid mahogany longcase clock standing on ogee bracket feet. • Swan-neck pediment with circular inlaid rosettes and an empty central plinth. • Square glazed hood door showing a painted dial with an axe-head aperture displaying a sailing ship, figurative corner spandrels, and calendar crescent. • Flame mahogany veneer featured prominently on the ogee-topped trunk door and base panel.
- Case Architecture and Inlay
- The mahogany case measures 228 cm in height and features a swan-neck pediment with inlaid flowerhead disc terminals set over a line-inlaid frieze and knopped turned columns framing the hood. Visual observation records an empty central plinth positioned between the rosettes of the pediment. The trunk is fitted with an ogee-arched long door placed beneath an inlaid frieze of three bat's wing paterae. The lower case terminates in a canted base supported on ogee bracket feet, with flame mahogany figuring visible on the trunk door and base panel.
- Dial Composition and Inscriptions
- The clock is fitted with a 14-inch square painted dial showing Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic markers for the minutes. In the upper portion, an axe-head aperture exposes a painted rolling moon phase decorated with a tall-masted ship and a gate-house within a landscape. Below the rolling moon, the painted surface incorporates painted rams, a terrestrial calendar crescent aperture, and the inscribed maker's name "D. Collier Eccles". The auction title parenthetically associates David Collier of Eccles with the date "(d.1792)".
- Reported Movement and Accessories
- The cataloguing reports an eight-day movement with an anchor escapement, rack-striking on a bell, and a false-plate cast "WILSON". These interior mechanical parts are not visible in the exterior photograph. The auction entry records that the lot was sold complete with two weights, a pendulum, a key, and a winder.
Identification
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: Internal mechanical components including the bell, anchor escapement, and 'WILSON' false-plate are not visible in the photograph.
- Research required: The maker's attribution relies on dial inscription and auction cataloguing rather than independent verification.