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Longcase Clock

 (British, 1602–1696/1697)
Dateca. 1675–80
MediumOlive wood and brass on oak, walnut, and burl wood
Dimensions79 1/2 × 16 1/8 × 9 in. (201.9 × 41 × 22.9 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Winthrop Kellogg Edey, 1999
Accession number1999.5.141
Commentary

The pendulum clock was invented in 1653 by the Dutch mathematician Christiaan Huygens, but it was developed, soon after, in England and France. This innovation transformed clocks into precise timekeepers. However, it was not until around 1669 that a type of escapement was invented that enabled pendulum clocks to keep time within a few seconds. One of the first English clockmakers to produce pendulum clocks, Edward East was appointed an assistant in the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, the English clockmakers guild, in 1632. He appears to have had a sizeable workshop and during his long career trained a number of clockmakers, including the celebrated Henry Jones. Such longcase clocks were introduced in England in the 1660s, and about twelve of them from the seventeenth century have survived.

Source: Vignon, Charlotte. The Frick Collection Decorative Arts Handbook. New York: The Frick Collection/Scala, 2015.

Not On View
Front view of longcase clock showing marqueted vegetal motifs
Edward East
1685
Three-quarter front view of Longcase Regulator Clock
Balthazar Lieutaud
1767
View of Sewing Table with marquetry of several woods, Sèvres Porcelain Plaque in the center of …
French or English
19th century
Black ground porcelain vase with rocks, branches, and white flowers
Chinese, Qing Dynasty (1644–1911)
probably 19th century
Porcelain quadrilateral vase with handles and black ground with floral and vegetal designs on w…
Chinese, Qing Dynasty (1644–1911)
probably 19th century
Commode with Floral and Armorial Marquetry and gilt bronze
Roger Vandercruse Lacroix
1769
Commode with Pictorial and Trellis Marquetry
Jean-Henri Riesener
ca. 1780, and 1791
Secrétaire with Pictorial and Trellis Marquetry and gilt bronze decoration
Jean-Henri Riesener
ca. 1780 and 1790
Splat-Backed Armchair with Ram's-Head Terminals
French, Sixteenth Century
16th and 19th century
Upholstered Armchair with Ram's-Head Terminals with green cushions
French, Sixteenth Century
16th and 19th century
Carved walnut architectural ornament (guilloche) with putti decoration
Abraham Miller
1900−25
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