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Vienna, first half of the 19th century
- signed
- „Marenzeller in Wien“
- Clockmaker
- Igna(t)z Marenzeller
- *1798 Pettau/Styria, 1831 master, 1873 court clockmaker, †1877
- Case
- polished mahogany veneer, maple stripe inlays
- Dial
- silver-plated dial with etched ornamental décor
- Movement
- Graham escapement, three weights, Viennese grande sonnerie on wire gongs, repeater, turn-off for strike
- Technique
- duration of one week
- Height
- 50 in
The excellent international reputation that Viennese clockmaking enjoyed during its heyday in the first half of the 19th century is due above all to its precise regulators, the so-called “Laterndluhren” and “Dachluhren”.
This wall clock was made by one of the best clockmakers of that era – Ignatz Marenzeller – whose name is synonymous with the very highest quality and who was also ranked among the most important Viennese masters by Professor Dr. Hans von Bertele, a renowned expert on Viennese clocks. Marenzeller, born in 1798 in Pettau in Styria (now Slovenia), was registered as a citizen and master clockmaker in Vienna in 1831. In 1835, he founded the company “Mayer & Marenzeller” with his brother-in-law Anton Mayer. The partnership ended in 1841 and Marenzeller opened his own workshop. Gold and silver medals at the Vienna Trade Exhibitions, prizes for his outstanding pendulum clocks at world’s fairs (London 1862, Paris 1867) and finally his appointment as Imperial and Royal Court Clockmaker (1873) are evidence of Ignatz Marenzeller’s exceptional skills.
This timepiece by the famous master is one of the rare three-weight Viennese regulators. Usually, this kind of Vienna wall clock does not have a striking mechanism, but a few pieces have a complex quarter strike, the Viennese grande sonnerie and are fashioned accordingly – instead of with just one – with three weights, which drive the going train, the quarter-hour and the hour strike respectively. The well-proportioned case with delicate dimensions and a height of only 50 in. is veneered with precious mahogany, which was reserved for privileged circles at the time as “wood of kings”.