Description:
Wall clock with a small, uncased 30-hour clock movement with an engraved oval cartouche enclosing: "Nathan Storrs/Northampton" at the top. Born in Mansfield, Connecticut, Nathan Storrs trained with Jacob Sargeant (1761-1843), originally a clock and watchmaker who expanded to silversmithing and jewelry making, in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1791, Nathan Storrs moved to Northampton, staying there until his death in 1839. Storrs was also a watch and clockmaker who diversified and supplemented his trade as a silversmith by making surveying instruments, cutlery, and other objects. On July 6, 1791, he advertised his "Silver Table and Tea Spoons" for sale in the Hampshire Gazette. He had two partners over the years: Jedidiah Baldwin (1768-1849) from 1792-1794 when Baldwin left for Hanover, New Hampshire; and Benjamin E. Cook from 1827-1834 as Storrs & Cook until Storrs sold his interest to Cook and retired; his shop was on Shop Row, former site of E. J. Gare and Son, Inc. Simple 30-hour uncased "wag" clocks are rare survivals since they are more subject to dirt and corrosion. The arched, brass dial has an hour ring in Roman numerals and minute ring in Arabic. Mounted on original beveled pine seat board.
Label Text:
Exhibited in "Rococo: Celebrating 18th-Century Design and Decoration" (2018-2019): Engraved, sheet brass clock dials, usually silvered, were popular in New England during the height of the Rococo style in America. This example, mounted on a simple, 30-hour timepiece, includes stylized naturalistic vegetal and floral motifs rendered in C and S scrolls. Its local origin attests to the fashion for Rococo objects far beyond coastal urban centers.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+90.221 |
