Clock, Mirror

Object Name:

Clock, Mirror

Object ID:

1972.089.069

Creator:

Collins, James (1801-1882)Clockmaker

Place of Origin:

Goffstown, NH

Date:

circa 1835

Description:

Mirror Clock. Attributed to James Collins (1801-1882), Goffstown, NH; c. 1835. Materials: Birch and unidentified wood; iron (dial); brass (movement); secondary wood white pine. Freestanding columns, with entasis flanking case and extending between base and entablature. Vertically oriented, rectangular door, in front of case; with two glazed panels -- decorated glass above and mirror below. Mirror is almost twice as high as upper panel. Circular reserve of clear glass at center of upper panel with gilt border and surrounding reverse stenciled design in silver and gold on an alternating red and green ground, using floral, foliate and shell motifs. Keyhole in door with applied lozenge-shaped, brass escutcheon. No lock. Columns painted black. Round painted iron dial, beneath clear glass reserve in upper door panel. Roman hour numerals and spear-shaped, steel, hour and minute hands differing slightly in design. A winding hole at each side of center. Eight-day brass movement with strike. Wood of turned columns unidentified. Iron hanger. Several nail holes in backboard. Mirror backed with pine on which are pencil inscriptions giving names and dates of cleanings and/or repairs from 1855 to 1883, including: "May 31st 185_ / S. _ ___", "May 23 1861 / S. B. Coombs", and "Oiled Nov 18 1874 / J M Towns". Bottom of base and most of interior stained red. Top of case painted black. Separately stored parts: key, winding key, miscellaneous replaced parts, two sheet iron canister weights, pendulum.

Material:

Wood
Hardwood
Birch
Pine
Brass
Iron
Glass

Dimensions:

H-32.75 W-21 D-5.625 inches

Provenance:

Clock attributed to clockmaker James Collins (1801-1882) of Goffstown, New Hampshire. Acquired by donor in 1957 from John Sinclair (1881-1971) of Penacook, N.H. (John A. Sinclair was listed as an antique dealer and a clock repairer in the 1957 Concord directory). Pencil inscription in clock documents a cleaning/repair in 1861 by Stephen B. Coombs, of Salisbury, N.H. Part of a large clock collection (and related materials) including not only clocks made in N.H., but also several made elsewhere, acquired in N.H. by the donor (Charles S. Parsons, 1904-1988) and probably used here.

Credit Line:

Gift of Charles S. Parsons

People:

Sinclair, John A. (1881-1971), Coombs, Stephen B., Towns, J. M., Collins, James (1801-1882), Parsons, Charles S. (1904-1988)

Subjects:

Manufacturing