Gothic-style German chamber clock

Made:
1400-1499 in Germany
Gothic-style German chamber clock (lantern clock; foliot) Gothic-style German chamber clock (lantern clock; foliot)

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

The Clockmakers' Museum/Clarissa Bruce
© The Clockmakers’ Charity

The Clockmakers' Museum/Clarissa Bruce
© The Clockmakers’ Charity

Weight driven, striking, iron wall clock by an unknown maker, Germany. Forged iron frame consisting of four corner posts, surmounted by four curved corner bars, which form a canopy supporting a bell. The canopy bars carry rosettes. The front has a pierced iron plate on which hour figures are painted. The movement contains a verge and foliot escapement, with adjustable weights, and a striking mechanism which operates without warning.

Clocks of this sort were amongst the earliest available in Europe for domestic use. Like the tower clocks of the period, the frame is held together with wedges and the movement is regulated by a verge escapement with an adjustable bar foliot. This clock was almost certainly brightly painted when it was first made.

Clockmakers' Museum No. 572

Details

Category:
Clockmakers
Collection:
The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers
Object Number:
L2015-3456
Materials:
iron and bronze (copper, tin alloy)
Measurements:
overall: 480 mm x 185 mm x 200 mm,
type:
lantern clock and foliot
credit:
Lent by the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers