A WILLIAM AND MARY EBONY BRACKET CLOCK

A WILLIAM AND MARY EBONY BRACKET CLOCK

BY ALEXANDER HEWITT, C.1690-1695

the brass eight day twin fusee repeating movement with five knopped pillars and a crown wheel escapement, chiming on a nest of five bells and striking on a sixth, with a backplate heavily engraved with scrolling tulip foliage around a cartouche inscribed 'Alex. Hewitt / LONDON', the brass dial engraved with scrolling foliage, with a silvered chapter ring with black Roman hours and Arabic minutes, with cherub head spandrels, the matted centre with a mock pendulum and date aperture beneath subsidiary strike/silent and seconds dials flanking the inscription 'Alex Hewitt / LONDON', the caddy top case with gilt brass mounts including flaming urns, with silk backed grilles, on clawed feet

35.5cm high, 26.5cm wide, 17.4cm deep

Catalogue Note

Alexander Hewitt was born in around 1671 and was apprenticed to the horologist and tool maker Benjamin Bell from 1685 until Bell’s death in 1691. Bell had a professional relationship with other London horologists including Robert Hooke and Thomas Tompion, the latter helped Hewitt to itemise and evaluate Bell’s workshop equipment and tools which Hewitt had inherited on Bell’s death.

Despite being an extremely accomplished clockmaker, Hewitt appears to have joined the Curriers’ Company in 1697, thus watches and clocks by Hewitt are very rare.