Lantern clock by Francis Forman
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
c. 1630
This English brass lantern clock is signed 'Francis Foreman at St. Paules gate' and dated to circa 1630 in London. Built within a Mannerist frame, the movement is documented as possessing a twelve-hour duration with a replaced balance escapement beneath a bell surmounted by arched straps and finials.
The dial center is engraved with a naive floral motif and a grotesque mask, encircled by an applied chapter ring marked with Roman numerals featuring reversed 'X' symbols between nine and twelve o'clock. The pierced frets bear the mark of brass founder 'I.S.' or 'S.I.'.
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
- Lantern clock
- Duration
- Twelve hours
- Dimensions
- 350 mm x 155 mm x 190 mm
- Escapement
- Replaced balance escapement
- Place recorded
- United Kingdom
- Maker Signature
- Francis Foreman at St. Paules gate
- Date of Manufacture
- c.1630
- Maker / attribution
- Francis Forman
- Clockmakers Museum Number
- 1165
Design
- Visible features
- • Large top-mounted bell supported beneath intersecting arched brass straps terminating in an upper finial • Pierced cresting fret positioned above the dial frame between two turned corner finials • Engraved center dial depicting foliate scrollwork and a central grotesque mask • Single steel hand with pierced counterpoise mounted over a central disc • Silvered chapter ring with Roman numerals and quarter-hour inner ring divisions • Rectangular brass frame supported on turned baluster pillars with spherical feet
- Dial and Visual Features
- The dial is engraved with a floral pattern and a grotesque mask. The chapter ring features Roman numerals, with the source noting characteristic reversed 'X' symbols between nine and twelve o'clock. Time is displayed via a single hand, which is noted as being made of steel and featuring a pierced counterpoise.
- Identity and Attribution
- The object is a brass lantern clock, documented by the source as being from London, circa 1630. The piece is signed 'Francis Foreman at St. Paules gate'. The clock is documented as having a twelve-hour duration. The pierced frets of the clock bear the mark 'I.S.' or 'S.I.', identified as the mark of a brass founder.
- Construction and Reported Condition
- The clock is built within what the source describes as a Mannerist frame. The structural configuration includes a bell mounted above the dial. The source identifies the balance escapement as a replacement.
Identification
- Reference
- L2015-4070
- Museum Inventory Number
- L2015-4070
- 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 balance escapement is a replacement
- Research required: Movement trains, verge, balance mechanism, and side access doors are not visible in frontal aspect