Federal Inlaid and Figured Cherry Tall Case Clock

Object Details

Object Essay

Philadelphia cabinetmakers influenced craftsmen in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. This tall-case clock, while probably made in rural southeastern Pennsylvania or possibly in nearby northern Maryland, has many features that relate it to Philadelphia workmanship. The cyma-curved, raised panel on the door, the chamfered corners on the center section, and the inlay on top of the center section in imitation of carved fretwork are all reminiscent of Philadelphia work. The extreme frontal protrusion of the hood is also a hallmark of inland Pennsylvania origin.^{1_{For example, clocks no. 152 and 153 in Montgomery 1966, 199–201.}}

Other features suggest a Lancaster provenance. The clock resembles a tall clock with case by John G. Hoff, Jr., who worked in Lancaster from 1800–1819.^{2_{Battison and Kane, no. 22.}} The use of a swan’s-neck pediment with inlaid pinwheels, a frieze with an inlaid keystone, freestanding columns at the front corners, and a glazed door with an arched top are shared elements in each of these clocks. Likewise, both have an inlaid eagle (at the top of the door section in the Hoff clock) and inlaid rectangles with hollow corners on the base. Both clocks are decorated with a variety of simple, yet elegant inlays.^{3_{Charles F. Montgomery and others have suggested that the more sophisticated inlays, such as eagles, shells, and pinwheels, may have been purchased readymade from inlay specialists in Philadelphia or Baltimore. Montgomery 1966, 200.}} The works of other known Lancaster cabinet- and clockmakers, such as Jacob Bachman, Martin Schreiner, and Anthony Wayne Baldwin, also bear clear resemblance to this undocumented clock.

Portions of the feet of this clock were cut off at some point; they have now been restored to suggest the original proportions.^{4_{Edward F. LaFond, Jr., Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and Joseph Godla, Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities Conservation Lab, researched the replaced feet and undertook the conservation.}}

Page Talbott

Excerpted from Clement E. Conger, et al. Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1991.