AN IMPORTANT MUDGE & DUTTON LONGCASE CLOCK WITH ENAMEL DIALS

This important clock is a superbly elegant longcase clock made by the eminent makers; Thomas Mudge and William Dutton.

The beautiful Fleet Street mahogany case with choice veneers to the trunk door and base panel is made to stunning proportions. Understood to be made by The Rich family in Fleet Street it has lovely thin bolection mouldings around the doors, it is a case of pure quality. The movement is exactly what is expected from a Mudge & Dutton clock, good substantial plates and every detail finished to the highest quality. With vitreous enamel dials in perfect condition, these enamel dials were only ever used on the very best clocks. They were the most expensive dials to make due to the success rate being only one success in every dozen made, most failed because they tend to crack whilst cooling down. It was a very risky process and as such, today there are very few enamel dial clocks of this size around. The bigger the dial means the higher the risk there was of them cracking.

Previously this clock was part of the Tom Scott Collection, being number 62 in the inventory. The clock is accompanied with a leather bound book detailing the whole collection, in which this clock can be found. The book is also signed by all three authors and is also numbered.

 

Movement: The substantial 8-day weight driven clock movement held together by four heavy baluster pillars with anchor escapement, T-bar seconds pendulum featuring a considerable iron rod with heavy lenticular brass bob and engraved silvered rating nut. The strike train uses a rack strike system to strike the hours to a bell at the top of the movement.

 

Case: Extremely elegant to the eye, this fine Cuban mahogany case has been made beautifully. Understood to have been made by case makers The Rich family of Fleet Street (who notably made cases for not only Mudge & Dutton, but also the Vulliamy family as well as Holmes), using fine bolection mouldings to the doors, the hood door being particularly delicate when compared to most of standard composure. The hood also consisting of reeded columns to the sides of the door and silk backed fish scale brass frets to both sides of the clock movement, topped with a single brass spherical finial.

The trunk of the case is stood upon a double plinth with the base above having a genuine applied panel with choice veneer and the trunk door to match showing off the choice cut of high quality mahogany veneer to great effect.

 

Dial: The break arch dial measuring 12” wide by 16” tall features the gilt brass dial plate with two perfect vitreous enamel dials. The clock dial features roman numerals with Arabic five minute markers with shaped finely blued steel hands. Immediately above there is a strike/silent lever below the top enamel dial numbered 1 -31 for the calendar, also signed Thos. Mudge. Wm. Dutton, with the dial complimented by six cast and chased gilt brass rococo spandrels.

 

Provenance:

• Currently – Private collection, UK
• Previously – Scott collection, Channel Islands
• Previously – Sothebys, London.

 

Literature:

• The Golden Age of Horology, Garnier & Carter – Page 246 & 247

 

Height: 87” or 221cm (Top of finial)

 

CIRCA. 1770

 

*This clock is delivered and set up for free within the UK. We regularly ship clocks all over the world with our approved and well-established Antiques and Fine Art Packers & Shippers. Please ask for a quote should you require this service.

 

Thomas Mudge – B.1715 – D.1794

Thomas Mudge was essentially a watchmaker, but many of his clocks (usually signed by Mudge & Dutton) may be found by a collector. He was the son of a Devon clergyman who, seeing his son’s ability, had him apprenticed to George Graham. Mudge was admitted to the freedom of the Clockmakers Company in 1738 and he took a leading position in Graham’s workshop. Many of the pieces signed by Graham contain his work. At Graham’s death in 1751, the Daily Advertiser for November 18 contained the following: ‘Thomas Mudge, watchmaker, apprentice to the late Mr Graham, carries on the business in the same manner Mr Graham did, at the sign of the “Dial and One Crown” opposite the “Bolt and Turn” in Fleet Street.’ Ferdinand the sixth of Spain ordered an equation watch from John Ellicott who, finding difficulties with its construction, had recourse to Mudge. Mudge was asked to make a piece of horology at his own price for the King and he made a complicated repeating watch in the head of a cane for which he received 480 guineas.

From 1775, he was in partnership with William Dutton, who was also an apprentice of Graham’s. Together they made superb watches and many clocks, both bracket and longcase. In 1759 Mudge made a watch for George III with a lever escapement, an escapement which was to attain complete supremacy in watches and was to be universally adopted. In 1771 Mudge moved from London to Plymouth to continue work on chronometers with his first being assessed at Greenwich for the Board of Longitude. He was granted an award of £500 to encourage him to refine his ideas in 1774. He later died in 1794.

 

William Dutton – B.1722 – D.1794

It is believed William Dutton to have been born in Buckinghamshire in 1722. He also served his apprenticeship under George Graham in 1738. In 1746 he completed his apprenticeship and became a Freeman of the Clockmakers Company.

In 1755 Dutton and Mudge formed what would be a successful partnership located at No. 148 Fleet Street. This address was used by the Dutton family for several generations to come. In 1771, Dutton took over the company when Mudge moved to Plymouth. He later took his sons into partnership and they traded under the firm name of W. Dutton & Sons, as well as Dutton & Mudge.

The partnership with Thomas Mudge was not dissolved until 1790, and the Dutton & Mudge name still appeared on items until Mudge’s death. William Dutton and Thomas Mudge both died in 1794. William had two sons, Matthew and Thomas.

 

J. C. Collection

 

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