William Tomlinson, London.

SOLD

A fine Queen Anne ebonised bracket clock with pull quarter repeat on five bells.

The 7" x 8" brass dial signed William Tomlinson London within foliate engraving and a strike/silent function lever below. Cherub spandrels and blued steel hands, fine wheatear engraving to the false pendulum aperture and calendar aperture. The substantial five pillar movement has its original verge escapement and is pull quarter repeating on five bells, it strikes the hours on a separate bell. The backplate is signed William Tomlinson London within a foliate cartouche amongst finely engraved foliage.

The ebonised case has an inverted bell top and brass carrying handle, finely pierced ebony sound fret to the front door, side glasses with fine frets above and a glazed rear door.

Date circa 1710

Height 16 ins (40 cm)

Early repair mark to the movement by John Tyler 1719.

William Tomlinson was a fine maker and is first recorded as becoming a brother of the Clockmakers Company in 1699 and master on the 29th of September 1733. He worked at The Dial & Three Crowns, Birchin Lane, nr Royal Exchange;

An ebonised bracket clock, with a three train chiming movement, was in the Wetherfield Collection; see W.E. Hurcomb, The Wetherfield Collection of Clocks, second edition August 1929, page 32.

A watch is known presented to the President of Harvard College, Edward Holyoake, after which the outer case was made into a drinking cup. A watch signed by Tomlinson dated 1719 is in the collection of the V&A, London.