2681
JOSEPH FUCHS IN OFFEN. A VERY EARLY WALNUT CASED MONTH GOING LATERNDLUHR WITH PERPETUAL CALENDAR. CIRCA 1795.

An exceedingly rare and early month duration Laterndluhr. The early style case with a round lift off hood, slim and glazed trunk and with an octagonal base. The walnut has ebonised mouldings to the top of the trunk and sides.

The case is most unusual in having a backboard which has always been painted the colour of the wall on which the clock is hung. The effect of this is to make it look as though it does not have a back to the case. In order to preserve some of the earlier paints we now tend to paste some paper painted in the colour of the walls to the backboard which is easy to take off if and when the room is decorated!

The case has a flat plinth on top of the dial on which stands a gilded wooden urn. The white enamel dial is signed for the maker, ‘Joseph Fuchs in Offen’ and has a seconds dial below 12 o’clock, a day of the week dial on the left hand side by 9 o’clock and a day of the month on the right hand side by 3. The clock has blued steel Breguet style hands.

The exceptional movement is of month duration with much thicker plates more reminiscent of English work than typical Viennese work. This is partly due to the very early nature of the clock which is some 5 or 10 years before the main stream Viennese Laterndluhrs were being produced. It has a three rod mock gridiron pendulum with a pointer to show the amount of compensation. This, of course, is non functioning as it is not a true gridiron pendulum. The most unusual part of the movement is the fact that it has a fully perpetual calendar system. This was exceptionally rare in Viennese work at this stage, although in the 1820s there were more clocks with perpetual calendar, although it is always an unusual feature.

The pendulum is suspended from a knife edge mounted on the backboard. The movement has a deadbeat escapement and maintaining power.

Length: 56" (142 cms.)

Price band: F