Simon Willard & Co. Stenciled-front Patent Timepiece or "Banjo" Clock, c. 1825, gilt turned finial above the hinged cast brass bezel, roman numeral painted iron dial marked "Simon Willard & Co." with barbed iron hand set, gilt stenciled decorated floral half-round frames enclosing the original mustard and white reverse painted tablets, throat tablet reading "Patent," terminating in a similar decorated pedestal with a gilt acorn drop, eight-day, time-only movement, regulated by a pendulum and lead weight, ht. 39 1/2 in. Provenance: According to the consignor the clock was acquired by Charles Snow Livingstone, known to his friends as "Chick." He and his wife, whose maiden name was Hildegarde Brandegee, a concert pianist, were avid antique collectors. Chick grew up in the coastal town of Calais, Maine, the son of a ship's blacksmith and dry dock owner. One year prior to WWII he was invited by friends on a fishing trip to New Brunswick, Canada. At dinner one evening one of the friends announced he had discovered a Simon Willard for sale in Bangor, Maine. Chick excused himself from the table, went directly to his car and drove to Bangor. He found and purchased the clock beating his friend to it. He was never invited to go fishing again. The clock was in his house at 8 Brook Street, in Winchester, Massachusetts, until his death; it then went to Lancaster, New Hampshire. In 1977 it moved to The Stone House, on the St. Croix River in Calais, Maine, where it hung on the wall, running, until 2017. The Stone House itself is a unique historical property, being built in 1825 as an advertisement for a granite quarry on the property with a large wharf out front for loading granite into schooners, and with a ship's store in the daylight basement. Photos of the house can be seen at https://livingstonehouse.weebly.com/stone-house-gallery.html. Literature: A similar example can be found in Willards Patent Time Pieces/A History of the Weight-driven Banjo Clock/1800-1900, by Paul J. Foley, pp. 137-38. Note: There is period lead signature on case back reading in what appears to be "E. A. W............." Estimate $8,000-12,000 old finish and original decoration, dial has been black lit. Signature appears to be correct, india ink is fading, scratch to dial between 12-1 that has been touched up, glasses are original but has touch up around the white boarders, wood repair to the bottom of the throat frame where the two screws are that attach to case Items may have wear and tear, imperfections, or the effects of aging. Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.
