AFA Summer 2019

Antiques & Fine Art 85 2019 McPherson Hornor Jr. (1897–1969) mistakenly believed that arch-dial clocks were not made in Philadelphia until the late 1730s. 3 The stately proportioned, black walnut arched case debited by Head to glassmaker Caspar Wistar (1696–1752) at £4, on April 30, 1730 (Figs. 4, 5), has its original brass eight-day tide dial movement (Fig. 6) by Peter’s son William Stretch (1701–1748), creator of the most complicated works made by that prolific horological dynasty. The case has an old craquelure finish. The silvered dial retains its original gilt spandrels. From the John Head account book, and Wistar family probate and other records, we know the clock’s original owner and complete line of descent, as well as the maker of its case, the cost, when it was ordered and paid for, and how and by whom. Wistar’s is the earliest and best-documented Philadelphia tall-case clock known to have survived. Head’s clock cases in woods designated as other than walnut cost £5 and were his most expensive. Of these, cedar was the most popular for Head’s earliest clock cases: the four in cedar all date to the early 1720s. None are known to survive. Tastes may have changed or imported wood may have become more available, as the three £5 cases ordered in mahogany date from the mid- to late 1720s. The four cherry £5 cases date from the 1730s, with one exception from 1723. One fascinating discovery: Although from imported wood, the mahogany cases were priced no more than those designated as in cedar or cherry. Thus, the maxim of cherry being the poor man’s mahogany is apocryphal, at least for furniture sold in Head’s shop. Two cherry clock cases from the Head shop survive. As both surviving cherry cases bear design similarities to the 1730 black walnut case documented to Caspar Wistar’s account, they may be tentatively ascribed to that period of construction in Head’s shop. What may be the earlier of the two cherry tall-case clocks remains in the family of John Lisle (1726–1807), a lieutenant in the Pennsylvania militia born too late to be its first owner. As on the Wistar case, the Lisle case has a double- bead surround on its arched waist door and arched side moldings and sidelights on its hood. The arched hood moldings are emblematic of baroque design. The other extant cherry-case clock (Fig. 7) is a simplified version of the Lisle and Wistar cases. 4 Its arched waist door is finished with an ovolo molding (sometimes called a “thumbnail edge”) rather than a double-bead molding; and, although its sidelights are arched, the side moldings of its hood are not. Its altered base (shown) has since been restored to look like that on the Wistar case. Also, whereas the Lisle clock has brass capitals and bases on its engaged hood columns and a lenticle with a brass surround, this cherry case only has the latter. Head also recorded selling £5 clock cases without wood designated. Thus, it may be that the two surviving cherry cases relate to one or more Figs. 4, 5: The Caspar Wistar tall-case clock, Philadelphia, 1726. Black walnut with hard pine and Atlantic white cedar. H. 109, W. 19, D. 10 in. Arched case by the shop of John Head and debited in his account book, 87 left, on April 30, 1730, to Caspar Wistar (1696–1752); arched eight-day tide dial movement by William Stretch (1701– 1748). By tradition, the dent above the lenticle in the waist door was from a stone thrown through the window of the Wistar house during the Revolution. This is the ear- liest known, fully documented Philadelphia tall-case clock. Private collection, Philadelphia. Photography by John Wynn.