AFA Summer 2021

Antiques & Fine Art 73 2021 T all case clocks often evoke a sense of nostalgia. Even the twentieth-century name, grandfather clock, suggests an object revered for its connections to people and other times. But when these objects were first made, the tall case clock had a very different connotation. An expensive mechanical timepiece, the clock, together with its fashionable wooden case, was a practical, often highly ornamental symbol of the owner’s status and prestige. Before the early nineteenth century, only the wealthy could afford such expensive mechanisms, and most people working in homes, farms, or businesses went through the day with little need for a clock. The location of the sun in the sky, sundials, or public clock chimes helped to regulate the days. As society became more dependent on time regulation, clocks became more necessary and through technological advances and streamlined production, more attainable. The tall case clock is a weight-driven mechanism regulated by a pendulum and housed in a tall wooden case. Multiple Figs. 3 and 4: Tall case clock. Movement: William Claggett, Newport, Rhode Island, ca. 1740. Case: Unidentified maker, Newport, R.I., ca. 1765. Mahogany, chestnut, white pine; brass, iron, steel, and lead. OH. 100¼, OW. 10⅞, OD. 11⅝ in. Museum Purchase (1972-36). Photos courtesy of The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. by Tara Gleason Chicirda