Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Clock, Shelf |
Catalog Number |
94.38 |
Collection |
Timepiece |
Other Name |
Congreve rolling ball clock |
Date |
1885 |
Description |
2-day brass and steel time only movement. Fusee driven. Inclined brass plane underneath the movement has track for steel ball. As plane tips, escape wheel is released. Made by John Evans after the design of its inventor, Sir William Congreve. Three dials. Hours represented on left most dial, and seconds on the right. Central dial indicates minutes and is printed, "Sir William Congrieve [sic]. Inventor." Engraved on signature plate, "89 Mount St, J. Evans, Grosvenor Sq. W." Brass movement is mounted on square wood base with velvet-upholstered top. Glass cover over movement. Sir William Congreve (1772-1828) was famous for his invention of the military rocket used in teh latter part of the Napoleonic Wars and the siege of Copenhagen in 1807. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society, a member of Parliament, friend of King George IV and in 1814 became Comptroller of Wollwich, the Royal Laboratory at Greenwich. Congreve was not a clockmaker by trade, but today his name is inextricably linked to The Rolling Ball Clock of his design. The escapement which Congreve termed the "Extreme Detached Escapement" was patented in 1808. rather than build the pieces himself, Congreve hired John Moxon. the first design was weight driven and was presented by Congreve to The Prince of Wales in 1808. The second design was spring driven and is in the collectionb of Buckingham Palace. Since then, numerous copies and adaptations have been made and are still being made today. Each must be evaluated on its own merit. John Evans (1838-1905) was a chronometer, watch, and clock manufacturer in London. He apprenticed with Charles Gartner, who was listed as a maker to Dent. A tall clock with his signature on the dial is in the Weatherfield Collection. This clock was originally owned by Dr. David Hunter and Emma McAlipin, Jr. of Morris Plains, New Jersey (1862-1934). |
Maker |
John Evans |
Material |
brass, steel, glass, wood, velvet |
Place of Origin |
London, England, United Kingdom |
Notes |
Accessioned 34584 6 slides in slide cabinet 1 Mainspring shelf 101.71 |