Rare 1830s Seth Thomas Pillar & Scroll mantel clock painting Colonnade Row NYC

Description: Rare and important Federal style 1830s “pillar and scroll” mantel clock by famous Connecticut clock-maker Seth Thomas. This design was invented by Eli Terry in the 1810s, and became one of the very first objects ever made using industrially-produced, standardized parts (though the construction and veneer application were made by artisans, and the painted decor, in general, by skilled female painters).The original Eli Terry design was aesthetically perfected by Seth Thomas (a friend and former business partner of Eli Terry’s).Very good general condition. Mahogany case with a scroll top that retains a general Chippendale air.Free-standing elongated solid mahogany columns flanking the full-length glazed door divided in two windows or sections, each with their original glass pane (glass is amazingly wavy and rippled).Original carved scalloped mahogany skirt with original bracket French tapered feet.The glazed upper section is over the hand-painted wooden dial (in its original state, showing some wear), adorned with Roman numerals, floral spandrels and a gilt vine circular frieze.Original steel and iron diamond-shaped hands. Dial signed with the initial “ST” carved in the top right corner.The lower section contains the two original cast-iron weights (marked L and R for left and right), the pendulum and its original brass bob, and the original signed label titled “Clocks made and sold by Seth Thomas, Plymouth, Connecticut, warranted if well used” along with the instructions glued on the left and right compartments (all in good / fair condition). The string holding the right weight broke, but could be easily replaced. Everything seems to be in order and ready to be cleaned and tuned for the clock to work again.The accessories also come with a brass winding key, which doesn’t strike me as being the original.The clock retained its original tin backboard dust cover in the back.The bone (or ivory) diamond-shaped key escutcheon is intact and well-made (comes with a key, unlikely original).Exquisite intact swan-neck pediment with the original brass finials. The Seth Thomas brass finials differ greatly from the finials that can be found on other pillar and scroll mantel clocks (mostly brass too, but sometimes wood, and mostly following Eli Terry’s design). Shaped like an elongated urn, they show exquisite proportions and harmonious curves, combined with the elegance of the needle-looking axis, traits which modern replacement finials can't reproduce with exactly the same degree of excellence. These finials have been distinguished by collectors with the “Thomas-style” nickname.The finials on this clock are original, as proven by their perfect execution and unmistakable patina. Also, note that the finials here stand perfectly vertical on their base: sadly, in many cases, antique finials seem to emulate the tower of Pisa, giving the clock an unfortunate “out-of-bed” look… :-D Not here.The most interesting part of this clock, and what makes it really unique, is the reverse-painted decor of the lower glass panel, realized in the “verre églomisé” style, as it was the fashion then. Intact stencil gold foliate scroll frieze framing the painted scene, free-hand gold palmette frieze around the central pendulum aperture. What is interesting is what is depicted in that scenic painted decor: at first it looks like yet another neoclassical mansion, but when one pays more attention, this building shows no less than 16 columns (and one can guess it has at least a few more, as the building seems to go on towards the left behind a tree, and then stretches further, beyond the painting’s frame). What kind of “mansion” could have so many columns? For reference, Mount Vernon has only 8 columns… And it’s not a Greco-Roman temple either, because it has almost 20 chimneys on its roof, plus a cube-shaped extension at the right end of the building…I showed this image to a friend of mine who is a Historic Preservation Consultant, and he immediately recognized that building: it’s Colonnade Row, one of the first buildings to be labeled a Historic Landmark in New York City, in 1965 (today No. 428 to 434, Lafayette Street). Originally a vast residence complex including 9 luxurious townhouses or 26 rooms each, and counting 28 columns on its facade, it was built by John Jacob Astor, “the landlord of New York”, in 1833, and named LaGrange Terrace. By the 1860s, the area had become too popular for the elite members of New York society that first lived there, and they moved away, starting the decline of the building. It was divided into many more units, hence the spectacular number of chimneys and the alterations that one can see in a post-1876 picture with the horse-coach (the building still has its 28 columns there). Then in 1902, more than half of it was demolished (see pictures). Today, No. 434 is a theater (created in the late 1960s) and the main venue for the Blue Man Group, who bought the place in 2001! Back to the clock’s painting: in all likelihood, it depicts LaGrange Terrace / Colonnade Row in its state of 1860 to 1880. In other words, the original painting (which, maybe, depicted the same building the way it was when it was inaugurated?) was restored / replaced around that date, which is consistent with the stencil technique used for the golden foliate scroll that frames the scene, a style that was more prevalent in the second half of the 19th century, as opposed to free-hand adornements. So, what we have here is a clock adorned with the picture of a major landmark of New York City, a picture captured at a precise moment of its history, before unscrupulous developers decided to make more than half of it disappear. Arguably the ONLY manifestation of Colonnade Row in American decorative arts… Dimensions: 31”¼ x 17”½ x 4”½ Very good general condition, wear and patina consistent with antique status. Repair to front left foot (invisible) and to frame in the back. Small loss on the side near the right finial, puncture in the left side, neither being conspicuous. Old finish. Many other pictures and additional information available on demand. The shipping of an antique clock being possibly the most delicate shipping project, please contact me prior to concluding your purchase, in order to discuss shipping feasibility (or delivery, or local pickup). #antiques #SethThomas #Federal #pillandscroll #mantelclock #ColonnadeRow #NYC #bluemangroup #history #decorative arts #lagrangeterrace #1830s

Price: 2400 USD

Location: Somerville, Massachusetts

End Time: 2024-08-01T01:54:40.000Z

Shipping Cost: 185 USD