EXTREMELY RARE FOUR TRAIN MUSICAL LONGCASE CLOCK BY GRAVELL & TOLKIEN

Extremely Rare Four Train Musical Longcase Clock by Gravell & Tolkien.

A fine George III period musical longcase clock of 8-day duration, numbered 3705 on both the plates and dial, features a dead-beat escapement, maintaining power, four trains; going, strike, quarter-chime and musical with 12 different choices on a total on 17 bells, including options of strike/silent and piano/forte (soft/loud). This is rather a complicated clock, however, extremely well made, very high quality and hands down the heaviest longcase I have ever handled!

The dial measures 12.5” by 17.5”, break arch base dial with the 12 tune selection in the break-arch above the two silvered subsidiary dials for strike/silent and Piano/Forte (soft/loud).

The slim silvered chapter ring features both Roman and Arabic numerals with exceptionally finely cut blued steel hands with musical bagpipe spandrels to the corners and seconds below XII the centre is signed Gravell & Tolkein, London 3705 between scrolling foliage and sweep centre calendar.

A fiddle-back mahogany break arch case with three finials and fine fretwork between, the brass framed hood door aperture with satinwood and ebony branding flanked by carved acanthus volute columns. Fretted access doors to the hood sides. The correspondingly stepped base moulding with a matching raised panel and double skirted foot. Stepped throat mouldings with acanthus leaf capitals to fluted columns below centre by the flat top break arch fiddle back trunk door with matching banding.

Provenance: Private collection U.S.A.