Joseph Knibb, London SOLD

Clockmaker: Joseph Knibb, London

SOLD

A Charles II half hour striking table clock. Circa 1685

Case

Refined phase III ebonised case surmounted by a foliate tied handle to the cushion moulded top with foliate mounts. The top rail inset with a gilt sound fret, the uprights with matching escutcheons.

Dial

7 inch square brass dial with a finely matted centre signed along the base Joseph Knibb, London. Silvered chapter ring with trident half hour markers and,Roman hours and Arabic minutes, winged cherub spandrels. Blued steel pierced and faceted hands.

Movement

The two train fusee movement has a knife edge verge escapement and bob pendulum. The hours are sounded on a bell and the half hours a smaller bell. The backplate is engraved with tulips and foliage around the signature, Joseph Knibb London.

Height . 12 1/2 in (31.7 cm)

Joseph Knibb was born in 1640 in Oxford and to begin with worked there with his brother John. In 1663 he was admitted to the Clockmakers’ Company and in 1668 was given his Freedom, moving to London in 1671. Joseph firmly established himself as a leading maker and his clocks are notable for the elegant proportions and their innovative striking mechanism. In 1697 he retired to Hanslop, Buckinghamshire, where he lived until his death in 1711. Examples of his work can be found in the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum.