Clock, Tall Case

Object Name:

Clock, Tall Case

Object ID:

1959.076

Creator:

Hutchins, Abel (1763-1853) -- Clockmaker

Place of Origin:

Concord, NH

Date:

1810-1820

Description:

Tall Case Clock. Movement made by Abel Hutchins (1763-1852), Concord, NH, 1810-1820. Case: cherry, walnut, and mahogany veneer with inlay; secondary woods cherry and pine. Movement: brass (eight-day). Dial: enameled iron. Arched hood with 3 plinths; plinths have caps, string inlay, bell-shaped brass spired finials. Ribbed molding between the plinths. Concave molded cornice. Plain, free-standing columns on either side of hood door; columns have brass caps and bases. Rectangular glazed sidelights present. The hood door is arched and glazed, and has a large oval brass door pull.
The dial is enameled metal with a moon-phase disk in arch portion. Moon disk above 2 images of world globes; dial is numbered 1 to 29 above moon disk. Visible painted images on disk include full moon, and a sailing ship. Dial has roman hour numerals and Arabic minute numerals, with pierced steel hands. There is a seconds dial above center, with plain hand, and a day-of-month dial below the center. Inscribed below center: "Abel Hutchins / CONCORD.". Two winding holes with grommets slightly below the center. Spandrels decorated with floral sprays, outlined in gold, and painted in pink, black and green.
The waist is edged with string inlay of dark and light diagonals. Rectangular waist door has molded edges, as well as a band of mahogany veneer. Diamond-shaped escutcheon is missing, but the steel lock and lock plate present (as well as the steel key). There is concave molding at the top and base of the waist. Quarter-round reeded columns on each side of waist door, with brass caps and bases. Columns are supported from behind with glue blocks. The columns, however, do not down as far as the bottom of the waist; beneath the column bases is a block with string inlay forming a helix shape above an inlay tulip bud.
The inner surface of the waist door has several inscriptions. A paper label is adhered on top of a tape label; the paper label reads "Cleaned Dec. 1953"; only dates -- 1914, 1918, and 1920 -- are visible on the tape label beneath. Pencil inscription on the door reads: "E. S___ Aug. 1866", as well as several illegible inscriptions. There is an adhesive label on the interior of the case sidewall with the donor's name. On the backboard's inner surface, behind the works, is a diamond-shaped paper label: "Forwarded / BY / PARKER & Co. / CAMBRIDGEPORT EXPRESS / Offices: 412 Main St Cambridgeport / 8 & 10, 34 & 36 Court Square / 3 Washington St, Boston". Some water damage on this label.
Clock base is also edged with a band of mahogany veneer as well a string inlay along the top and side edges in the pattern described above. Extensive use of glue blocks throughout. Several scribe marks on backboard exterior.

Material:

Wood
Cherry
Walnut
Mahogany
Metal
Glass

Dimensions:

H-89.5 W-19.5 D-9.875 inches

Provenance:

Clock given to donor, Elizabeth G. Bartlett Beckett (1909-2000), by her uncle, S. W. Bartlett, of Boston, MA. The clock came to him from his first wife, Mrs. Charles Whitten of Boston. The clock is said to have come from her father's family. Donor had the clock for ten years prior to donation to NHHS.

Credit Line:

Gift of Elizabeth G. Beckett

People:

Hutchins, Abel (1763-1853), Smith, E. A., Bartlett, Sidney W. (1871-1958), Beckett, Elizabeth G. (1909-2000)