Antique Eli Terry and Sons Clock

Price Type: retail
Sold Date: 8/28/2000
Pre-Sale Estimate: (subscribers only)
Sold For: (subscribers only)

Catalog Description:

American experimental banjo wall clock, Eli Terry and Sons, c.1830 Square top and bottom Connecticut banjo clock; rosewood veneer case with reverse painted door glases on middle and lower door.; painted wood dial; 30 hour wooden movement; 35" tall by 16" wide at the base; Condition: Very good; reconstructed from existing clocks of the period. Additional Dealer Comments: According to one authority on the history of the banjo clock in America, Eli Terry attempted to compete with the success of the early Willard banjo clocks by designing and producing this alternative style...but the writer goes on to note that Terry soon realized, that it would never equal the sales of the traditional round head Willard clocks. The production of these square top, wooden works clocks was therefore quite limited and as Chipman Ella comments in his book, THE BANJO TIMEPIECE...."I THINK SOME OF US ARE FORTUNATE TO INCLUDE ONE IN OUR COLLECTIONS". Ella pictures one on page 144 in his book and Distin and Bishop show another on page 229 (Figure 537) in their book, THE AMERICAN CLOCK. The 30 hour wooden movement in this weight driven clock runs properly and strikes the hours correctly. The reverse painted eglomise' on the middle and lower door glasses are later restorations of a professional and correct style and quality. The upper door retains its original lock, the middle and lower door locks are missing. The dial is of the period and may be original to the case. However the fact that the winding holes have been slightly enlarged to align with the winding arbors on the movement may indicate that the dial or perhaps the movement is a replacement. The dial surely is old enough for the clock and fits to a "T" as does the wooden works movement. The inside paper label is somewhat flaked and missing the name of the maker. It does include the attribution of patent to Eli Terry with the words PATENT CLOCKS INVENTED BY ELI TERRY MADE AND SOLD BY-and then a portion of the paper is missing...except for two letters which include an "S" and an "N"...which are possibly the remains of the words ELI TERRY AND SONS. The large eagle imprint on the paper label is complete. The printer's signature at the bottom of the label reads...HARTFORD-PRINTED BY HUDSON and SKINNER. This clock has had restoration and changes over its many years. "Experts" (and there seems to be no end of these!) disagree on the amount of originality of many of these clocks. Some feel that this entire clock was reconstructed from portions of other wood works clocks of that general period. Another person contacted us to assure us that it's a genuine Terry banjo. My opinion is that it has been reconstructed.

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