A quite stunning mahogany 'rocking ship' longcase clock with an eight day movement striking the hours on a bell. The 11½ inch arched brass dial is engraved to the top of the arch with the maker's name 'Thomas Willshire, Bristol' above a painted rocking set within a seascape and moving to the beat of the clock, the silvered dial centre has Westcountry style engraved decoration, a seconds dial and date aperture. The raised silvered chapter ring is engraved with black Roman numerals and has cast brass spandrels to the four corners and decorative blued steel hands.
The mahogany case is a typical high quality Bristol example of lovely colour and good patination, with fluted canted corners to the base and trunk and a shaped top to the door which has a decorative cast escutcheon, with a panelled base, fluted columns to the hood with heavy cast brass Corinthian capitals and a blind fret to the arch under a dentil moulding, all surmounted with wooden ball finials.
Thomas Willshire is a well recorded Bristol maker and was known to have been working at 40, Thomas Street from 1777 having previously been in partnership with another Bristol maker Henry Link, the arrangement being dissolved on the 27th of August, 1777. Willshire took an apprentice, William Alexander, on payment of £10-0-0 starting on 25th of May, 1785. He had a son, W. Willshire, who continued the business at the same address from at least 1814, the year 'W.' married Mary Ashbee.
Height: 7ft 5 inches (including finials)
Price: £15,500.00