Clock, Mirror

Object Name:

Clock, Mirror

Object ID:

1972.089.059

Creator:

Dutton, David (1792-1882)Clockmaker

Place of Origin:

Mont Vernon, NH

Date:

circa 1835

Description:

Mirror Clock. Made by David Dutton (1792-1882), Mont Vernon, NH; c. 1835. Vertically oriented rectangular door extending full width of clock between flat base and cornice. Scrolled gallery at front and sides: plinths at ends of front gallery. Two glazed panels in door--clear glass above and mirror below. Upper panel 10.5" high, lower panel 14.75". Stiles of door decorated on face with applied split balusters and applied corner blocks. Turnings of reel, vase and tapered baluster type. Front gallery and split balusters painted black with stenciled, stylized floral designs in bronze. Door secured with steel hook. Rectangular painted wooden dial, beneath upper glass panel, with Arabic hour numerals and pierced steel hour and minute hands matching in design. Painted decoration in gilt and blue-gray, partly in relief, including a border of raised gilt dots surrounding center of dial and stylized scrolled foliage in spandrels. Two winding holes with brass grommets below center of dial. Terry-type thirty-hour wooden movement with strike.
Wood of turnings unidentified. Remainder of visible surface of case veneered with mahogany and cherry. Secondary wood of left door stile probably Sycamore. Dial probably tulip poplar. Outer surface of backboard hand sawn and unplaned. Gallery replaced at front. Iron wire hanger. Numerous nail holes in backboard. Large printed label glued to inner surface of lower backboard reading in part: '[P]atent / Clocks / Manufactured & Sold / by / David Dutton / Mont Vernon, N.H." Printed at the "Cabinet Office", Amherst, NH. Mirror backed with pine board, stained red, on which are several pencil inscriptions giving names and dates of cleanings and/or repair work from 1851 to 1869, including "R. Morrill, July 24, 1861." Weight sheaves projecting through top of clock. Separately stored parts: pendulum bob, winding key, two cast iron weights (cylindrical).

Material:

Wood
Mahogany
Cherry
Pine
Brass
Iron
Glass

Dimensions:

H-34.5 W-15.875 D-5.375 inches

Provenance:

Mirror clock with manufacturer/retailer label of David Dutton (1792-1882), Mont Vernon, N.H. Also has repair/cleaning mark of Reuben Morrill (1825-1879), Concord, NH, 1861. Acquired by donor, Charles S. Parsons (1904-1988), in 1954 from John Glidden (1882-1965), shoe manufacturer, East Derry, NH. Part of a large clock collection (and related materials) including not only clocks made in NH, but also several made elsewhere, acquired in NH by the donor and probably used here.

Credit Line:

Gift of Charles S. Parsons

People:

Glidden, John (1882-1965), Dutton, David (1792-1882), Morrill, Reuben (1825-1879), Parsons, Charles S. (1904-1988)

Subjects:

Manufacturing