Table clock bracket; JOHN TAYLOR, London, second half of the eighteenth century.

Table clock bracket; JOHN TAYLOR, London, second half of the eighteenth century.
Ebony veneered wood and bronze.
Chime in quarters, halves and hours. With option of silence and demand of hours.
Preserves key and bell pendulum.
It works.
Measurements: 63 x 38 x 24 cm.

English table clock bracket type, with ebony veneered wood case and ornamental bronze applications in relief and round bulge. It presents a front of simple architectural composition, with a facade topped by a round arch raised on a simple base, molded in its upper part, raised on four bronze legs in the form of curly scroll inward. The whole has a sloping top with curved angles, ending in a flat form on which a classical ornamental composition rises, with a vase at its apex, similar to the four that adorn the corners of the cornice. The piece has lateral arched handles, and is profusely decorated with chiseled and fretworked gilded bronze plaques, worked with meticulous attention to detail. The front of the clock shows classical garlands and vegetal compositions, and on the sides there is an openwork plaque with a central sun with a child's face, accompanied by typically rococo rocaille crests. The dial, silvered, has engraved Roman numerals, in black, and three hands. At the top is a second smaller dial, which indicates whether or not the chime is activated. The piece has a three-train movement, calendar of days and chiming at the quarters on eight bells and at the hours and half-hours on a large alloy bell. It has a demand for hours and a silence option.
In the eighteenth century many great collectors, including Philip V of Spain, preferred English clocks over others for their technical perfection, and in fact the English was the main watchmaking school of the time. The watchmaker John Taylor was a famous representative of the English watchmaking of the eighteenth century, prolific manufacturer of pieces valued both for their quality and ornamental value as for the beauty and delicacy of the melodies of their sonneries. From his workshop in Gloucester Road, Taylor manufactured watches always of the highest quality, English classicist style, today highly sought after and sought after. He made different types (floor, table, etc.), always pieces signed on the dial. Specifically, John Taylor's brackets were the most appreciated in the Spanish market for the perfection of its machinery, and pieces of his hand were part of prominent collections, such as the royal or the Marquis of Cerralbo, and in the nineteenth century.
The bracket clocks of English origin stand out mainly for their mechanism, although also for their decoration. This typology has its origin in the decade of the 60's of the 17th century, when the pendulum was applied to the clock, replacing the previous "foliot" or flywheel regulator. This change made it necessary to provide the mechanism with a case that would protect it from shocks that could alter its movement. Thus were born the watches known in England as brackets, i.e. transportable watches. These were short case pieces, which housed inside a mechanism held between two thick plates and containing, as a driving force for each train, a combination of hub and snail. These clocks were initially designed to be placed on a bracket, hence their English name. This bracket was an independent piece that was usually manufactured at the same time, with decoration to match the clock. Later, however, the base and clock began to be made separately.
The English developed a watchmaking mechanics different from that of the rest of Europe, based on an industry of specialized workshops that produced products of great technical perfection. The cases were made by cabinetmakers who enriched the watches, turning them into real jewels. Therefore, throughout the eighteenth century English clocks will show the stylistic evolution that developed in English cabinetmaking, starting with the William and Mary and Queen Anne models, through the Chippendale style and the Hepplewithe to finally return to classicism with the Adam, the Sheraton and finally the Regency. Regarding the specific typology of the bracket clock, it maintained throughout the eighteenth century its elegant and stately appearance, and at the end of the century the cases will be larger, more monumental. The material used for their manufacture was usually, still in the 17th century, ebony or tortoiseshell, combined with bronze applications. From 1670 onwards, olive and walnut were also common, and later brass began to be used. From the 1720s onwards, these woods were replaced by mahogany, more suited to the new taste. On the other hand, the dials used to present figures engraved on the front plate, or incorporating a silvered hour sector. Later, other elements would be added, such as the seconds hand, located on one side of the central arc, or the date, included in the dial. Even dials for the phases of the moon would be included.