Bracket clock, Tompion, Thomas, London, ca. 1690
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1690
Bracket clock, Tompion, Thomas, London, ca. 1690 is an object recorded by Victoria and Albert Museum, dated ca. 1690. Museum description: Object TypeThis bracket clock is signed by Thomas Tompion on the back plate and numbered '35' at the top left inside a scroll. Tompion numbered most of his clocks and a date sequence has been worked out by specialists using these numbers. This number is consistent with a date of manufacture around 1690.The movement has a gong train with a large spring, barrel fusee and pendulum. It is also fitted with a complex repeating mechanism. If the cords attached to two short arms at the back of the clock are pulled, the hour and quarter hour are struck on two bells of different pitch. The case is of oak and a measure of the quality of Tompion's workmanship is the use of an ebony veneer of unusual thickness.MakerThomas Tompion (1639-1713) was the leading English clockmaker of the period. He introduced some important innovations, including some of the first watches with balance springs and also… The museum record gives measurements Height 35.5 cm; Width 23.5 cm; Depth 16.2 cm; place associated: London; maker recorded: Tompion, Thomas. These details come from the holding museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
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.
Historical context
Object TypeThis bracket clock is signed by Thomas Tompion on the back plate and numbered '35' at the top left inside a scroll. Tompion numbered most of his clocks and a date sequence has been worked out by specialists using these numbers. This number is consistent with a date of manufacture around 1690.The movement has a gong train with a large spring, barrel fusee and pendulum. It is also fitted with a complex repeating mechanism. If the cords attached to two short arms at the back of the clock are pulled, the hour and quarter hour are struck on two bells of different pitch. The case is of oak and a measure of the quality of Tompion's workmanship is the use of an ebony veneer of unusual thickness.MakerThomas Tompion (1639-1713) was the leading English clockmaker of the period. He introduced some important innovations, including some of the first watches with balance springs and also complex repeating mechanisms for clocks. All his clocks and watches are of outstanding quality. A contemporary recorded that Tompion could get as much as £10 for his clocks, whereas other clockmakers could only get £4 to £6.Ownership & UseThe owner of this clock was from the French family of Lefort des Ylouses and came from Boulogne. A family story records that the clock was first acquired by a member who had been a French prisoner of war during the Napoleonic wars. He was presumably a senior officer on parole, and thus wealthy enough to buy such a clock.
Physical characteristics
- Dimensions
- Height 35.5 cm; Width 23.5 cm; Depth 16.2 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Case of oak, veneered with ebony, with gilt-bronze mounts
- Maker recorded
- Tompion, Thomas
- Place recorded
- London
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- The back-plate is signed THO.TOMPION FECIT and numbered '35' at the top left inside a scroll
Identification
- Museum object name
- Bracket clock
- Museum object number
- M.214-1924
- Museum system number
- O78486
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: confirm materials, dimensions, maker and wider type against the holding institution and a specialist reference.