E. Terry & Sons Pillar and Scroll Shelf Clock
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
19th century
This nineteenth-century American shelf clock is attributed by the auction house to E. Terry & Sons and constructed in the pillar and scroll form. The mahogany case stands approximately 31 1/2 inches high, featuring a scrolled crest with three brass urn-form finials, slender flanking turned columns, and a shaped bracket base.
A single hinged glazed door contains an upper clear panel showing a painted wooden dial with Arabic numerals, two winding arbors, and pierced black hands, over a reverse-painted lower tablet portraying a building and landscape with an oval pendulum aperture. Schmidt's Antiques notes a 30-hour weight-driven wooden time and strike movement and a facsimile paper label.
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
- Pillar and scroll shelf clock
- Dimensions
- 31 1/2" high overall
- Label status
- Facsimile paper label
- Movement type
- 30-hr weight driven wooden time and strike movement
- Place recorded
- United States
- Case construction
- Mahogany case with scrolled crest and Brass finials
- Maker attribution
- E. Terry & Sons
- Maker / attribution
- E. Terry & Sons
Design
- Visible features
- • Scrolled crest supporting three brass urn-shaped finials across the top pediment. • Reverse-painted lower glass tablet depicting a white multi-story building, landscape, and an oval pendulum aperture. • Painted dial featuring Arabic hour numerals, painted spandrels, two winding arbors, and pierced hands. • Mahogany case framed by slender turned flanking side columns terminating on a shaped bracket base.
- Identity and Attribution
- The auction catalog attributes this nineteenth-century shelf clock to American maker E. Terry & Sons, cataloging it under the pillar and scroll form. This attribution is reported by the auction house alongside an explicit note regarding interior labeling. Specifically, the auction listing documents a "Facsimile paper label" rather than an original nineteenth-century maker's label inside the case. The attribution therefore relies on the catalog description and form typology rather than confirmed original internal label evidence.
- Condition and Prior Interventions
- The listing records prior physical interventions on the clock, explicitly documenting "Older refinishing with minor damage" and "restoration to crest and base." Specific details regarding which parts of the crest or base were repaired or replaced are not recorded in this source.
- Dial, Movement, and Mechanism Reports
- The dial is described as a painted wooden dial with Arabic numerals, and visual observation shows painted spandrels, two winding arbors, and pierced hands. The auction record notes observable "dial wear." The listing reports a "30-hr weight driven wooden time and strike movement" and states that the clock was "running when cataloged." The internal movement and weights are not visible in the exterior photograph, and operational condition reflects the seller's catalog report rather than verified current performance.
- Case Architecture and Visible Exterior
- The clock measures 31 1/2 inches high overall and features a mahogany case with a scrolled crest surmounted by three brass finials. The case is flanked by slender turned columns set on a scrolled base. A single door contains an upper clear glass pane over the dial and a reverse-painted lower tablet. Visual observation confirms the reverse-painted lower tablet depicts a white multi-story building and landscape with an oval pendulum aperture.
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: Source notes the interior bears a facsimile paper label rather than an original label.
- Research required: Internal 30-hour wooden movement and weights are reported by the auctioneer but not visible in the exterior photograph.
- Research required: Catalog documents older refinishing, minor damage, dial wear, and prior restoration to the crest and base.