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Vienna, second half of the 18th century
- signed
- “Iac. Mayer In Wienn”
- Clockmaker
- Jakob Mayer III,
- Vienna, mentd. 1775 and 1788
- Case
- ebonized and polished cherry wood veneer, brass rods à l’Anglaise, fire-gilt bronze mounts (ormolu)
- Dial
- engraved and fire-gilt bronze front (ormolu),
silver-plated chapter ring and subsidiary dials,
central alarm disc - Movement
- verge escapement, Viennese grande sonnerie on bells, driven by three springs with fusee, repeater, turn-off for strike, reversing lever for petite sonnerie, pull-wind alarm on bell, indication of date and days of the week with the associated celestial bodies duration of one week
- Height
- 19 in
This exceptional Baroque clock with indications and a week-going movement, which is extremely rare among Viennese Baroque clocks, bears the signature of the eminent master clockmaker Jakob Mayer.
The exquisite case with an ebonized and polished birch veneer is decorated with brass rods à l’anglaise, four vase finials, and an ormolu lion head handle. The sound apertures embellished with open worked tendrils with inlaid silk increase the audibility of the clock’s chime. Lavish ormolu corner spandrels in the form of mascarons entwined with tendrils envelop the silver-plated chapter ring. Inside the chapter ring are a segmental arch-shaped aperture for the mock pendulum, a small opening for the date display, and a central alarm disc. In the lunette of the engraved front are three silverplated subsidiary dials. The central dial displays the day of the week and the associated celestial bodies, while the two lateral dials control the turn off of the strikes i. e. the transition from grande to petite sonnerie.
The ingenious technology of the one week-going movement with indications, combined with the precious case make this clock a showpiece of Baroque Viennese clockmaking and highlight the enormous skill of the master Jakob Mayer.