S J Bean Clocks & Antiques has dated this Regency Mahogany Longcase Clock to the 19th Century.
The hood is surmounted by a broken swan-neck pediment and further embellished with unusual marquetry shell motifs, an additional decorative feature which would almost certainly have added to the original cost of the clock. The long trunk has a beautifully figured mahogany door with Gothic-influenced arched mouldings, above a well-figured panelled base.
The outstanding feature, however, is undoubtedly the magnificent painted dial — a work of art in its own right.
The four corner spandrels depict personifications of the Four Seasons, while the centre incorporates beautifully painted allegorical figures representing Faith, Hope and Charity. The dial is signed SAMᴸ KELLETT, BREDBURY.
Above is an elaborate moonphase display with a particularly unusual rotating moon disc. Instead of the customary landscape and maritime subjects, it incorporates two separate sporting scenes: one depicting a mounted hunt with horsemen and hounds in pursuit, the other showing a country sportsman shooting over dogs. As the disc revolves, these scenes give way to a wonderfully characterful painted full moon.
The unusual sporting subjects, Four Seasons, allegorical decoration, geographical imagery and high specification of both dial and case strongly suggest that the clock may originally have been a special commission. No directly comparable example is presently known to us and this remarkable clock may well be unique.
Samuel Kellett is recorded as a watch and clockmaker working in Bredbury, Cheshire, during the early nineteenth century. A surviving silver pair-cased watch bearing his name has a London case hallmarked 1814. Interestingly, archival records also document a painted dial associated with S. Kellett of Bredbury, dating from around 1810, incorporating mapped hemispheres — a fascinating parallel with the geographical character of the present dial.
Dial Restoration
When acquired, the original coloured decoration had survived remarkably well, but much of the blackwork — including numerals, chapter markings and lettering — had disappeared.
Careful examination using ultraviolet light, strong natural sunlight and magnification revealed surviving traces of the original maker's lettering, enabling Samuel Kellett, Bredbury to be accurately reinstated from original evidence.
The surviving painted decoration has been preserved and the lost blackwork sympathetically restored. The original decoration within the two geographical areas had disappeared completely; the present terrestrial globes are therefore a sympathetic reconstruction rather than being represented as surviving original decoration. A photograph of the dial before restoration accompanies the clock.
The substantial eight-day weight-driven movement has a recoil escapement and strikes the hours on a bell, as well as operating the moonphase display. The movement has been properly restored and the clock is offered in full working order with the usual SJ Bean Clocks guarantee.
The combination of exceptional dial, figured mahogany, additional shell marquetry, unusual sporting moon disc and documented maker makes this a particularly individual Regency longcase.
A clock in which the dial is as much a work of art as it is an instrument of time.
Height: fractionally over 90 inches (c.229 cm)
Maximum width: 24 inches (61 cm)
Date: circa 1810–1815
Price: £4,995
S J Bean Clocks & Antiques has dated this Regency Mahogany Longcase Clock to the 19th Century.
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An Exceptional Regency Mahogany Moonphase Longcase Clock by Samuel Kellett of Bredbury
