Sold $18,000
19th Century Dish Dial Bride’s Clock Signed Aaron Willard
An exceptional Massachusetts shelf clock topped by the original gessoed and gilded wood finial standing on an ebonized plinth with original gold stencil foliage decoration, two original small turned brass finials with blunt threads, off-white Bride’s clock case paint over the cherry wood sides, re-gilded rope twist moldings and corner rosettes frame the all original reverse-painted hood tablet with decorative black and gold spandrels around the clock dial against a reverse-painted red ground, the lower portion of that upper hood tablet has a band of reverse-painted black ground and gold stenciled foliage decoration surrounding an oval reserve lettered in gold ‘Aaron Willard Boston’ all original. This hood slides off to reveal the original paint on the iron dish dial, original clock hands and movement and saddle. The lower tablet is backed by yellow pine secondary woods and has re-gilded rope twist moldings and corner rosettes framing the original reverse-painted naval battle scene from the War of 1812 titled ‘Constitution and Guerriere’ in oval reserve with original gold stenciled shell and foliage decoration on black ground with gold frame and red outside ground; a rounded pillow molding around the case below the tablet with original gold foliage stenciling on ebonised ground, original brass paw feet on front and gilded wood beehive feet in back dovetailed into the case. Very old if not original off-white paint to the case is darkened and crazed overall. The top door is held closed by the original iron pin with brass ball knob. Each wooden piece of the case bears a chisel marked number of XXXIV, inside the hood is a written dedication of ‘Presented to Geo E. Hanscam by Jacob Fullorton(?) 1877″, a paper repairman’s label from W.M. Bailey Malden 190_ is found inside the case. The original pendulum and an iron weight as shown. The clock case is mounted to a similarly painted wood shelf with lower bracket tipped by an acorn pendant dovetailed to the bracket and gilded. The shelf and clock are joined by a cherry wood block of wood painted red.
