Lantern Clock
Maker
Benjamin Hill
(American, 1617 - about 1670)
ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS
Dateca. 1650
Mediumbrass, steel, and rope
Dimensionsoverall: 63 x 5 3/4 x 6 1/2 in. (160 x 14.6 x 16.5 cm.)
clock: 14 1/2 x 5 3/4 x 6 1/2 in. (36.8 x 14.6 x 16.5 cm.)
mount: 20 x 7 1/2 x 8 in. (50.8 x 19.1 x 20.3 cm.)
ropes and weights: 48 1/2 in. (123.2 cm.)
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gail-Oxford Collection
Label TextWhile seventeenth-century documents describe this timepiece as a “chamber” or “house” clock, they are known by their current name because of their resemblance to lanterns. First introduced to England about 1610, they were the most common form of domestic clock in America for more than 100 years. Found only in the most affluent households, they were a symbol of their owner’s wealth and social standing within the community.This lantern clock, like many others, was originally controlled by a balance wheel. However, after its introduction in the 1660s, a pendulum was added to more exactingly regulate the time.
The crossed-dolphin and floral designs in the brass fretwork were motifs commonly seen in lantern clocks of this period.
Status
On viewObject number2016.11.1
