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My
Reproduction Simon Willard Clocks
For
more than forty years master craftsman James Lea has worked
in his one-man shop, striving to preserve the high quality
and craftsmanship for which early American clockmakers are
justifiably renowned. His love of antique clocks and woodworking
have come together to produce the finest reproduction American
clocks available today. With pride in the traditions of
a bygone era, he custom builds each work of art with flawless
attention to detail. Discriminating collectors and prudent
investors worldwide are proud to own a signed and numbered
replica of these fine museum pieces.
The
pictures below are "thumbnail" images that link to very
large pictures. Click on any thumbnail to see the larger
image. While it will take a few extra seconds to download
them, I'm very proud of my clocks and want to make sure
you can see every detail of the fine workmanship.
Click clock for larger
image
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SIMON
WILLARD PRESENTATION CLOCK
The
original "improved timepiece" was sometimes
embellished with a bracket resembling a shelf fastened
to the bottom of the clock and the entire front of the
clock covered with 23 K gold leaf for use in more formal
settings. This beautiful Presentation model clock was
the most expensive of all the Willard improved timepieces
and was often given as a gift for a special occasion.
The scene in the lower door of this clock is "The
escape of the Constitution", from the famous battle
in Boston Harbor during the Revolutionary war.
Available
as PB-1 without the bracket base as shown for $2400.00
or as PB-2 with the bracket base for $2600.00
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SIMON
WILLARD'S IMPROVED TIMEPIECE
Simon Willard, considered the Father
of American clock making, was born in Grafton, Massachusetts
in 1753. He was the first American to patent an eight-day
wall clock movement, receiving his patent from Thomas
Jefferson in 1802. Prior to his patent, if you wished
to purchase an eight-day clock, you had the choice of
a clock imported from Europe or an American tall clock,
both of which were beyond the means of all but the richest
early Americans. He called his invention his "improved
timepiece" and the design has come down to us unchanged
through two centuries and is today what we know as a
"Banjo Clock". This solid mahogany eight-day
wall clock is a reproduction of the original Simon Willard
Improved Timepiece. The lower door and neck frame are
cross-banded with Holly and Mahogany inlay. The eagle
finial, side arms and bezel are hand finished cast brass
and the glass is hand painted on the reverse in a geometric
design as was the original.
Available
as shown asWB-1 for $1800.00 or with a Mahogany bracket
base as WB-2 for $2000.00.
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ELY
TERRY PILLAR AND SCROLL CLOCK
Eli
Terry was a self-taught clock maker with very little
formal education. In spite of this, he
set himself up at the age of fourteen in the
clock making business, making clocks on special order.
During his sixty years of clock making, he completely
transformed the industry. In 1807 Terry began work on
the standardization of clock parts and was the first
person in the clock industry to use mass production
methods. Using waterpower to drive the machinery at
his Watertown Connecticut factory, he turned out thousands
of clocks and hired people such as Seth Thomas, Silas
Hoadley and Chancey Jerome, who later became famous
clockmakers themselves.
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This is a reproduction
of his thirty- hour wooden works Pillar and Scroll clock,
which he designed and patented in 1812. He sold the
clock for one dollar. In 1818 Terry sold Seth Thomas
the rights to make and sell the Pillar and Scroll model
clock for a royalty of fifty cents each and it went
on to become one of the most widely produced clocks
of the Nineteenth century.
Available
as PS-1 for $2200.00 or with the matching shelf as PS-2
for $2295.00
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image
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SIMON
WILLARD ROXBURY CASE TALL CLOCK
This clock is a reproduction of the finest of Simon
Willard's Tall Clocks and is copied from the original,
which is in the Willard House Museum, Grafton Mass.
The Roxbury style case is solid Mahogany with brass
finials and brass stops and capitals in the pillars
of both the lower case and hood. The waist has an arch-top
door with applied molding. The double step molded base
has ogee bracket feet and a Holly and Ebony sunburst
inlay and Holly stringing. The dial is hand painted
with both calendar and moon phase disks and the floral
corner decorations are outlined with gold relief. The
hands are hand-filed and made of pierced steel.
Available
as WTC for $12,000.00.
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LEMUEL
CURTIS GIRANDOLE CLOCK
Probable
the most elaborate clock of the period was the Girandole.
This 1815 masterpiece was very much a status symbol.
Few families could afford to own one and very few have
survived after almost two centuries. Styled after the
continental Girandole convex mirrors of the period and
patented by Lemuel Curtis of Concord Mass., the name
is taken from the French "girandole" and the
Italian "girandola". Literally, it means a
revolving firework. The scene in the lower convex door
glass is "Perry's Victory" from Admiral Oliver
Hazard Perry's famous defeat of the British on Lake
Erie during the war of 1812.
Available
as GD for $6,000.00
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image
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Click clock for larger
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AARON
WILLARD EIGHT-DAY SHELF CLOCK
This
clock by Simon's brother Aaron Willard circa 1820 is
copied from the original in the Willard House museum
in Grafton Mass. The design is believed to come from
the English Tall Clock using only the hood and base
and eliminating the center section or waist, making
it less expensive to produce and more affordable to
the average family. An original feature is the "dish
dial", made concave in order to allow room for
the hands between the dial and the glass. The reverse
painting on the door glass has a nautical theme with
anchors in each corner. The Mahogany case is topped
by a brass finial flanked by swan's neck scroll fretwork.
The lower case is veneered in crotch Mahogany, cross-banded
with straight grain Mahogany and inlayed with Ebony
stringing. The feet are cast brass covered with 23 K
gold leaf.
Available
as EDS for $2800.00
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The
movements in all our clocks are heavy gauge, fully hardened
leaded brass with steel alloy pinions and arbors, and are
exact reproductions of the original early 1800's Willard
movements. They are made and hand finished by David Lindow
in the USA, and come with a lifetime warranty. The stained
and varnished finish on all cases is applied by traditional
methods, then hand rubbed to a deep satin gloss. The glass
on the throat and door tablets is gold leafed and hand painted
on the reverse using period églomisé techniques,
by Thomas Moberg, Americas premier tablet painter. The dial
is hand painted on eighteen-gauge steel, with a cracked
aged finish and signed James Lea, Rockport.
Shipping
is FOB Rockport Maine. Crating is $75.00 for wall or shelf
clocks. Tall clocks are shipped via Boston Truck Co. Boston
Mass. Maine State residents add 5% sales tax.
Text and
images © James Lea Clocks, 2007, all rights reserved
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