A fine walnut longcase clock with an eight-day duration, five-pillar movement which strikes the hours on a bell. The twelve-inch arched brass dial has a silvered chapter ring engraved with Roman hour numerals, outer Arabic minute numerals, fleur-de-lys half hour markings and diamond half-quarters, with cast brass 'Chinese' spandrels to the four corners and dolphin spandrels to the arch. The matted dial-centre has an applied silvered plaque engraved with the name 'Charles Webb, Exon' along with a subsidiary seconds dial and day-of-the-week aperture. Within the arch is a further silvered dial showing the date on the outer aspect and the month on the inner. The walnut case has chevron crossbanding, an arched top with deep concave moulding and fret-work below and quartered columns to the hood.
Although signed for Charles Webb this clock shows all the signs of having come from the workshop of the famous Exeter maker Jacob Lovelace. Most noticeably the standard and layout of the movement including the positioning of the fine 'scape wheel and it's size, along with the style of case which is typical of the type seen housing movements by Lovelace. Indeed, both movement and case can be compared to the Lovelace longcase in The Royal Albert Museum in Exeter. Webb is recorded as a watchmaker working at the same period in Exeter as Lovelace, the early-to-mid 1700's, although no clocks are known by him bar an example sold some years ago that had a dial on a par with those seen on Lovelace clocks. It is quite possible he asked Lovelace to make this clock for him, either for an important client or as his own shop clock. Charles Webb is recorded as having been mentioned in the Exeter Quarter Sessions Books of Recognizances on the 4th of May 1722 with a further record in 1728. Jacob Lovelace is probably Exeter's most celebrated maker and was the maker of the famous 'Exeter Clock', the remains of which are in Exeter Museum having been bombed during the Liverpool blitz of the Second World War. He worked in St. Stephen's parish from circa 1712 until 1750 and died on the 3oth of November 1755.
Further details of Jacob Lovelace are available including details of other known clocks, his history and details of the 'Lovelace Trust'.
Height: 7ft 4"
Price: £22,000.00