Search 0
31,091  PAGES BROWSED TODAY PAGES TODAY • 40 ANTIQUES UPLOADED TODAYNEW ARRIVALS
Sorted by
Per page
JOIN AS A SELLER DEALER LOGIN
Selling Antiques Logo
0
Saved
GIFTS
40 ITEMS ADDED TODAY
Home
Return
Dealer Login
500+ Shops
Dealers
Newly Added
0
Saved
Antiques dealer?
Join as a Seller
Sort Order
Items Per Page
sellingantiques.co.uk
Browse Categories
Sort order
Relevant Links
Items per page
ID #SA1230965
FOR SALE
£4,600
Email Phone
Save
Timby’s Solar Timepiece
For sale by Hatchwell Antiques
for sale €5,382     $5,842
£4,600
Hatchwell Antiques

Hatchwell Antiques

Sellingantiques Verified Since Sep 2016
Browse dealers 150 items
  • About Us
    Furniture & lighting alongside clocks, scientific & optical instruments.
  • Trade Associations
    Hatchwell Antiques is a registered member of LAPADA  BADA  CINOA
Relevant Links
Id #SA1230965
PDF SHARE
SAVE

Timby’s Solar Timepiece

19th century
Description

Timby’s Solar Timepiece, by L. E. Whiting, Saratoga Springs, NY, USA, circa 1865.

Annular paper dial around the globe showing the hours and minutes in Arabic numerals, a second enamelled metal dial showing the tens of minutes in Arabic numerals, mechanical brass movement, in a walnut case.

The globe signed: Joslin’s six inch Terrestrial Globe Boston Gilman Joslin 1860.

Height. : 68 cm.

Width : 38.5 cm.

Depth : 18 cm.

Invented by Theodore Timby, and manufactured by Dr. Lewis E. Whiting.

US Patent No. 39,183 (July 7, 1863).

Theodore Ruggles Timby (5 April 1819 – 9 November 1909).

For similar Timby solar timepieces see the collections of:

Smithsonian Behring Centre, Washington, DC, ID Number ME.317034.

New York State Museum, Albany, NY. Part of the Oechsle Clock Collection.

The Hoffman Clock Museum, Newark, NY.

NAWCC Museum, Columbia, PA, Catalog Number 85.43.3

Horology Americana, Lester Dworetsky & Robert Dickstein, New York, 1972. p.174.

An Empire in Time, Clocks and Clock Makers of Upstate New York, G. Russell Oechsle & Helen Boyce, pp. 136-138.

The annual report of the American Institute, New York City, 1867-68, describes the Timby timepiece as, “a miniature world or model of the earth, put in motion, making a revolution once in twenty-four hours, moved by a superior time movement, requiring to be wound once in eight days”.

Declaration

Hatchwell Antiques has dated this Antique Solar Timepiece Clock to the 1860s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1230965
Description
Timby’s Solar Timepiece, by L. E. Whiting, Saratoga Springs, NY, USA, circa 1865.

Annular paper dial around the globe showing the hours and minutes in Arabic numerals, a second enamelled metal dial showing the tens of minutes in Arabic numerals, mechanical brass movement, in a walnut case.

fig 1. A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials.
fig 1. Timby’s Solar Timepiece

The globe signed: Joslin’s six inch Terrestrial Globe Boston Gilman Joslin 1860.

Height. : 68 cm.

Width : 38.5 cm.

Depth : 18 cm.

Invented by Theodore Timby, and manufactured by Dr. Lewis E. Whiting.

US Patent No. 39,183 (July 7, 1863).

fig 2. A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials.
fig 2. Timby’s Solar Timepiece

Theodore Ruggles Timby (5 April 1819 – 9 November 1909).

For similar Timby solar timepieces see the collections of:

Smithsonian Behring Centre, Washington, DC, ID Number ME.317034.

New York State Museum, Albany, NY. Part of the Oechsle Clock Collection.

fig 3. A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials.
fig 3. Timby’s Solar Timepiece

The Hoffman Clock Museum, Newark, NY.

NAWCC Museum, Columbia, PA, Catalog Number 85.43.3

Horology Americana, Lester Dworetsky & Robert Dickstein, New York, 1972. p.174.

An Empire in Time, Clocks and Clock Makers of Upstate New York, G. Russell Oechsle & Helen Boyce, pp. 136-138.

fig 4. A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials.
fig 4. Timby’s Solar Timepiece

The annual report of the American Institute, New York City, 1867-68, describes the Timby timepiece as, “a miniature world or model of the earth, put in motion, making a revolution once in twenty-four hours, moved by a superior time movement, requiring to be wound once in eight days”.

Date of Manufacture

Hatchwell Antiques has dated this Antique Solar Timepiece Clock to the 1860s.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1230965
Hatchwell Antiques
Hatchwell Antiques
Sellingantiques verified Since Sep 2016

Furniture & lighting alongside clocks, scientific & optical instruments.

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Hatchwell Antiques Profile Page

Trade Associations

Hatchwell Antiques is a registered member of LAPADA  BADA  CINOA

PDF SHARE
SAVE
A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials.
1 / 14
Archive I A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials.

Timby’s Solar Timepiece

Archive II A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials. View II
Archive III A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials. View III
Archive IV A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials. View IV
Archive V A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials. View V
Archive VI A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials. View VI
Archive VII A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials. View VII
Archive VIII A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials. View VIII
Archive IX A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials. View IX
Archive X A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials. View X
Archive XI A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials. View XI
Archive XII A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials. View XII
Archive XIII A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials. View XIII
Archive XIV A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials. View XIV
Enlarged Archival View
Hatchwell Antiques

Hatchwell Antiques
Telephone 020 7351 2344
Location
533 Kings Road
London
SW10 0TZ
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/hatchwellantiques
Verified Since Sep 2016
Items For Sale 150
Items Sold 10
Hatchwell Antiques
Hatchwell Antiques
Verified Since Sep 2016
View Dealer Info
Location: 533 Kings Road, London, SW10 0TZ, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/hatchwellantiques
Verified
Sep 2016
For Sale
150
Sold
10
A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials.
Timby’s Solar Timepiece
Ref: SA1230965
A dark mahogany Timby solar timepiece featuring an embedded central globe beneath a curved hour scale and brass finials.
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
Detail View 3
Detail View 4
Detail View 5
Detail View 6
Detail View 7
Detail View 8
Detail View 9
Detail View 10
Detail View 11
Detail View 12
Detail View 13
Archival Detail

Strictly Vetted Dealers

Every single antique dealer on our platform is individually approved by our internal team. We verify their professional trade history, ethical standards, and photographic quality to ensure a secure, high-standard buying environment. Upon joining, every dealer agrees to a strict 9-point code of conduct. While issues can occasionally arise, our dealers typically resolve them swiftly and directly with the buyer. In fact, since our founding in 2002, Sellingantiques has only had to step in to help resolve an issue on roughly five occasions—a true testament to the quality of our dealers and their dedication to your happiness.

Secure Transit

Our dealers are highly experienced in packing and shipping fragile, high-value antiques. Because you are in direct contact with the dealer, you will be able to easily go through all available shipping and insurance options together to ensure your item arrives safely.

The Sustainable Choice

Antiques are the ultimate green purchase. By choosing historical pieces over newly manufactured goods, you completely eliminate the carbon footprint of modern mass production while preserving exceptional, timeless craftsmanship.

Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectMantel Clocks
  • Period19th century
  • StyleVictorian
  • MaterialMahogany, Brass, Paper
  • ColourDark Brown
  • MotifsCentral terrestrial globe, Pagoda pediment, Turned brass drop finials, Arched time aperture

This Victorian mantel clock, known as Timby’s Solar Timepiece, originates from 1860 in the United States and has a dark brown walnut case housing a mechanical brass movement. The architectural design incorporates a pagoda pediment topped with a turned wooden finial and brass drop finials flanking the upper case, a central terrestrial globe signed by Gilman Joslin, an annular paper dial showing hours and minutes in Arabic numerals, and a second enamelled metal dial below displaying the tens of minutes. The cabinet stands on a stepped rectangular base with moulded edges and measures 68 cm high, 38.5 cm wide, and 18 cm deep. Suitable for a gentleman's library or office desk, the piece brings historical horological interest to a workspace interior. The mechanical movement requires winding once every eight days to keep the miniature world model rotating on its 24-hour cycle. The dark timber finish and brass hardware blend easily with traditional study furniture and scholarly collections.

FAQs

A solar timepiece is a specialised 19th-century horological instrument that integrates a clock movement with a rotating terrestrial globe to indicate local solar time alongside standard time.

These instruments were typically constructed using dense hardwoods such as mahogany or rosewood for the outer case, alongside cast brass movement components, finials, and paper lithograph globe gores.

Authenticity is identified through period-correct maker marks or patent stamps, hand-cut brass gears, authentic paper gore alignment on the central globe, and historical joinery methods within the wooden casing.

A solar timepiece serves as an intriguing visual focal point when positioned on an executive desk, library bookcase, or dark wood mantelpiece alongside leather-bound books and scientific apparatus.

Keep the casing in a climate-controlled environment away from direct sunlight to prevent paper fading and wood cracking, while ensuring mechanical movement servicing is conducted by a qualified horologist.
items
Add keywords to the filter
Price
£100
£250000
Era
Period
Style
Material
Origin
Stock Location
Recently Added
Online Payments
Categories