2713
JOSEPH ELSNER IN WIEN. A SMALL WALNUT
DACHLUHR WITH EIGHT DAY MOVEMENT. CIRCA 1830.
A beautiful little walnut Dachluhr by this eminent maker. The case, of the style and form used by Joseph Elsner’s cabinet maker, has an ogee moulded roof top and the typical feature of a line of stringing round the dividing mould between the bottom of the case and the main part of the trunk. The rest of the case is also strung. The method of construction of this case is identical to the other Elsners that we have had through our hands which always have slight differences to the construction methods used by other makers.
The eight day weight driven movement is suspended from a hook on the backboard and has the typical Elsner stabilizing platform and screws at the bottom of the movement which bite into the backboard. The clock has the thin steel rod pendulum and single sided bob, always used by this maker. The pendulum is suspended via a silk suspension from the top of the movement. The enamel dial is signed for the maker ‘Joseph Elsner Grahem’scher Gang’ and, like all Elsner clocks, the numerals and signature are fired into the enamel. He must have had a particularly good enameller to do his dials as the typical way of doing them at this stage was for the numerals and signature to be painted on. It is also apparent that the Joseph Elsner dials very seldom have crazing cracks on them whereas most of the other Viennese dials do. This presumes that his dial maker was better than his peers.
The hands of the clock are again typical cruciform style in blued steel and the clock has a deeply dished and finely engine turned gilded bezel.
Length: 34" (86 cms.)
