Antiques M.S. Rau | York Minster Cathedral Clock By J. Smith & Sons

Depicting The Majestic York Minster Cathedral In York, England, This Remarkable Victorian Brass Skeleton Clock Is A Wonderful Specimen Of English Clockmaking Attributed To J. Smith &Amp; Sons Of Clerkenwell, London. Known Alternatively As A “Cathedral Clock”, This Timepiece Is In Complete, Working Condition, Boasting An Intricate Two-Train Chain Fusée Mechanism. As Impressive Visually As It Is Mechanically, The Eight-Day Timepiece Indicates The Hour And Minutes With Blued Steel Hands On A Pierced, Engraved And Silvered Chapter Ring, Striking On A Large Gong. Set Upon Its Velvet-Covered Plinth Beneath A Glass Case, The Magnificent Clock Is A Work Of Distinction.

Skeleton Clocks Are Among The Most Exceptional And Intriguing Timepieces Ever Made And Were Designed To Display As Much Of The Working Mechanism As Possible. Often The Result Of The Highest Quality Workmanship, Skeleton Clocks Are Actually Some Of The Earliest Clocks, Some Dating From The Mid-16Th Century As Drum Clocks. Popularized Around 1750 By The French, Who Produced Wonderful Spring-Driven Antique Mantle Clocks, These Timekeepers Became The Favorite Of The English By 1820. By The Mid-19Th Century, The Main Centers Of Clock Production, London, Liverpool And Birmingham Began To Make The Most Exceptional Examples.

A Similar York Minster Cathedral Skeleton Clock By J. Smith &Amp; Sons Of Clerkenwell, London, Is Featured In Skeleton Clocks, Britain 1800-1914 By Derek Roberts On Pages 134 And 135.

Circa 1880

18″ High X 13 1/2″ Wide X 10″ Deep