Antique Wall Clocks and Other Treasures
Antique clocks come in many different types, shapes and sizes. Each one has its own unique history and journey travelled. In this article we will explore some of the different types of antique clocks, their history and characteristics.
- Antique Wall Clocks : Wall clocks are the oldest type of mechanical clock and were mostly pendulum driven. They were, in fact the predecessors of the grandfather clock.
- Antique Grandfather Clocks : William Clement developed the grandfather clock in the seventeenth century as a result of the need for more accurate time measurement devices. It was believed that the secret to time measurement accuracy lay in the length of a clock's pendulum. Pendulums were lengthened and clocks moved from the walls to the floor. These became known as "long case clocks" and eventually as "Grandfather Clocks."
Many antique grandfather clocks are characterised by a closed case and painted scenes on the dial.
Antique grandfather clocks can fetch anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few hundred thousand dollars, as was almost the case in 2002 when a tall-case clock from a New Hampshire Estate was bought at auction for $175,000.00.
- Antique Mantel Clocks : Antique mantel clocks vary in style according to where they were made. For example, American mantel clocks tended to be made of wood and elegantly carved while French mantel clockmakers used many different materials such as marble, bronze and papier-mache. Mantel clocks, overall, are subject to more variation than antique grandfather clocks.
- German Antique Clocks : Antique German clocks have, on the whole, a "proper and correct" air about them. They appear to be designed more for practicality than artistic attention. Their understated and functional appearance often belies the fine craftsmanship that went into creating them until one has a closer look.
The exception to this is, of course cuckoo clocks, originating in the Black Forest region of Germany and whose ornate carvings are celebrated and prized all over the world.
- French Antique Clocks : Antique French clocks are characteristically "fancy". One may say, even ostentatious and gaudy. Early French clockmakers must surely have been the exhibitionists of the clock world. Using materials such as marble, bronze and papier-mache, they created works of art that scream: "Look at me!" and "Your opinion does not concern me." They make light of the world and brighten the day.
- Seth Thomas Antique Clocks : Seth Thomas is the oldest clock company in the USA. It opened in 1813 and is still operating today. Seth Thomas antique clocks are quite curious as there are so many different styles from understated elegance to something resembling the overstated and somewhat "loud" designs exhibited by the French.
Today, a Seth Thomas antique clock can fetch anywhere from a few hundred dollars to around two thousand dollars.
- Antique Clocks UK : English antique clocks are similar in many ways to German antique clocks. They share a style of practicality and a sense of being "heard and not seen". They are the pieces that oversee daily life within the space that they occupy but don't presume to control it.
Being in the presence of an antique clock is like stepping back in time. A gentle "tic", a melodious chime and we're carried to another era.
All in all, just another time of our life.
