Description:
Shelf clock, or dwarf tall clock, with mahogany veneer over a pine case, by Joshua Wilder (1786-1860). Wilder, son of Edward and Mary Hersey Wilder, made clocks on the south shore of Massachusetts at the same time that the famous brothers, Simon (1753-1848) and Aaron Willard, were working in nearby Roxbury and Boston. Wilder competed by offering miniaturized tall clocks of elegance and accuracy that incorporated less material, but equal detail. The movement and case, when new, probably sold for about $25, half the amount of a standard, full-sized, tall clock by the Willards. The case is topped by a brass finial over a molded, semi-circular top. The clock face with roman numerals, framed by tapered columns, is painted white with swags and scrolls in two shades of green and gilt and labeled on the top "J Wilder/Hingham"; there are glass panels on each side of the clock face. The door on the front has a lock and key, covering a well-made small eight-day brass movement with rack and snail striking system. The lower section of the case is plain, with mid-molding over the base, which has a valenced skirt and plain bracket feet. The full back of the case is hinged as a door.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+1112 |
