18C, English Wall Clock, Cartel Clock, Bracket Clock, 8 Day, Fusee Works, Gild Carved Case, Phoenix Bird Top Start Price USD 9.99 Current Price USD 2,675.00 Time Left - Bid Count 16 Buy It Now Price USD 3,500.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, July 21, 2008 End Time Monday, July 28, 2008 Location Akron, Ohio See more about '18C, English Wall Clock, Cartel Clock, Bracket Clock, ' Description This is an exceptionally rare and unusual English 18th century chain fusee wall cartel clock. It's case is in need of restoration. The works have been completely gone over by my clock maker who is also a watch maker! This is fortunate since we have basically a bracket clock type clock movement with a balance wheel escapement. It works perfectly. Notice the exceptional ORIGINAL hands! Also the dial mounts into the case with 6 screws. I have taken a pic of the case showing the 6 mounting holes and each corresponds perfectly with a hole on the dial edge. This IS THE original movement for the case and the dial is original to the works. All of the 18th century cartel clocks I have seen or heard of have crown wheel escapements and short bob pendulums like a bracket clock movement. The dials have a curved aperture for a false pendulum. This clock I have is the rare exception! In fact the maker James Green is listed in Britten's as a watchmaker AND a member of the clock maker's company in the 18th century. In this clock he made a unique example. Now I say and I am sure you will agree that unique and different is very interesting but really it is only more desirable IF it was an improvement to the clock design and function. In this case it was a Major improvement and I will show you why. I have had the bob pendulum cartel clocks. All of these clocks are very rare and in my lifetime I have had 3 and seen 2 others in person. The bob pendulum examples have to be started if they wind down. You need to shake the clock while it is on the wall. Not so good. This balance wheel clock starts by itself when wound. That is the first improvement. Secondly this clock will run perfectly even if it is way out of level on the wall. That is no. 2 improvement. It can be moved without worrying about a pendulum swinging wildly and a crown wheel spinning out of control. 3rd improvement. The 4th and most important improvement is that it is a better time keeper than the crown wheel bob pendulum! And that is the entire ballgame when it comes to 18th century clock improvements! The maker very cleverly put the balance wheel speed regulator slot on the dial so that it looks like a false pendulum aperture! A person looking at it on the wall would never suspect that it has a unique type of works. The case of this clock is 34 inches tall to the top of the phoenix bird! The dial is 9.5 inches in diameter. It is a large clock. Fortunately these clocks are carved wood, gesso and gold gilding. This means that the wood case can be glued and restored without any of the restoration ever showing!  The gesso will cover up and smoothen out any seams or breaks and then when the clock is re gilded its case will be perfect. Most of these clocks have been re gilded. In fact there is an example in an old Miller's book that states, dial resilvered and case re gilded. It had a 15000 price tag on it!!!  This kind of restoration is normal and acceptable for these clocks. The case on my clock has been gold painted a long time ago but you can see old gilding showing through the paint in many parts of the case. What needs to be done is as follows. One wing is missing from the bird and needs to be carved using the other as a model. The head of the phoenix needs to be glued back on. Fortunately it is a clean break and fits perfectly. The lower beak of the phoenix needs to be restored and the upper section of the case was reglued poorly without lining up the break seams properly. It will have to be reglued properly. The repaired areas will need to be gessoed and re gilded to match the rest of the case. The gold paint needs to be removed from the entire clock. When this is done the case may or may not need re gilding depending on how good the gilding is underneath the paint. It may just need touched up here and there. Usually the geniuses who paint these cases and good painting frames, do so because there are a few small areas where the gilding is bad. Rather than touch these up which takes some effort they just gold radiator paint the whole thing. The cheap easy dime store fix! ha ha ha!  I can't tell you how many painting frames I have had stripped of the gold paint only to find most of the original gilding still intact and nice. Anyway I was going to have the case restored and keep this clock but 2 events came up. One I need the money to pay for a large car barn I am putting up and 2, the talented man I was going to have restore the case had a massive stroke and it is likely his restoring days are over. He is younger than I am! I am only 51. It makes one sit back and think. That event did much to take the wind out of my sails for restoring the clock. It is a great and rare clock and when restored properly it should easily be worth well over 10,000 dollars and possibly a lot more. Its phoenix bird has the best pose I have ever seen on one of these clocks and it is one of the larger and  more elaborate cases. The maker's signature on the dial is a work of art itself. I did not re silver the dial. Don't miss out on this extremely rare find! I accept checks, pay pal and money orders and buyer pays the actual shipping cost. It is a difficult clock to ship but last year I shipped one to England and it arrived safely. I had 2 and this is the one of those 2 that I had decided to keep. Happy bidding! Place a Bid!

More lots	See also lots
723: E. Howard & Co. No. 48 Regulator, Boston, c. 1870, A FRENCH STRIKING CARRIAGE CLOCK Rhythm CTS BRILLIANCE Motion Clock 4MH787-R18 german R/A clock in mint condition ORIGINAL ANSONIA QUEEN ELIZABETH WALL CLOCK	JAEGER LECOULTRE ATMOS 528-2 PERPETUAL MOTION CLOCK Grandfather clock A Lovely Carved Wood Italian Baroque Grandfather Clock