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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 engraved 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 outstanding international reputation that Viennese clockmaking enjoyed at its peak during the first half of the 19th century – and that it once again enjoys today among enthusiasts of antique timepieces – is owed above all to the precision and timeless elegance of its regulators, the so-called “Laterndluhren” and “Dachluhren”.
This elegant regulator was crafted by one of the most distinguished clockmakers of the era: Ignatz Marenzeller – a master known for works of the highest quality. He was also counted among the most important Viennese makers by Professor Dr. Hans von Bertele, the leading authority on Viennese clocks. Born in 1798 in Pettau, then part of Styria (now Slovenia), Marenzeller was recorded in Vienna in 1831 as a master clockmaker. In 1835, he founded the firm “Mayer & Marenzeller” with his brother-in-law Anton Mayer. After the partnership dissolved in 1841, Marenzeller established his own workshop. His extraordinary talent was recognized with gold and silver medals at Viennese industrial exhibitions, awards for his exceptional pendulum clocks at World’s Fairs (London 1862, Paris 1867), and ultimately his appointment as Imperial and Royal court clockmaker.
The timepiece presented here is one of the rare three-weight Viennese regulators. While most of these wall clocks were made without a striking mechanism, a small number feature a complex Viennese quarter-hour strike, requiring three weights instead of the usual one. The finely proportioned case is veneered in precious mahogany – at the time considered the “wood of kings” and reserved for elite circles.