Huge Original Art Nouveau Circa 1889 Cold Painted Bronzed Clock By Seth Thomas

  

Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this. Absolutely stunning are really very large Art Nouveau mantle clock circa 1890 by the great Seth Thomas. This clock is huge, I bought it thinking it was a normal size when in fact its nearly as tall as two normal bottles of wine!

The casting is sublime, its cold painted and bronzed, the lady's expression is very peaceful and serene, the hair is what I love the most, how it becomes part of the clock and can be seen from all angles. The dial is hand painted and porcelain, this would have been a very expensive piece to had made in its day. The clock movement is stamped MADE IN PARIS with the serial number 161287, It is also further stamped "Medaille D'argent L manti et cie 1889" which translates to "Silver Medal L Manti & Co" what this means is this clock won the silver medal at the 1889 exhibition. Excerpt from an 1863 catalog.

Almost everyone over the age of 40 has heard that name associated with clocks of some sort. Seth Thomas may not have been the most important man when it comes to clock innovations and design but Seth Thomas was one of, what we might consider, the founding fathers of the clock manufacturing boom that occurred in the United States in the early 1800's. Where other American clock companies came and went in a relatively short time period the Seth Thomas Clock Company has existed in one form or another up until modern times. Beginning about 1800 and up until about the 1920's clock manufacturing in the United States was very big business. Imported clocks from Germany, England and France were typically too expensive for the average American home.

Because of this there was an excellent opportunity for American ingenuity to produce an affordable clock and many companies were formed based around this very idea. From the beginning of this clock manufacturing boom there were a large number of companies producing these inexpensive yet very functional and durable clocks. Many of these companies were destined to have very short lives where others like Seth Thomas, Welch, Ingraham, Waterbury, New Haven and Ansonia (among others) would last for many decades. Of all of these various companies the name Seth Thomas endured longer than almost all of them.

Of course, as time progressed the Seth Thomas Company ceased to be owned by members of the original family. Companies using the Seth Thomas name continued to manufacture clocks up until very recent times, as late as the 1980's. Seth Thomas was born in 1785 in Connecticut, an important hub for American clock innovation.

At the young age of 14 he began his clockmaker apprenticeship under a man named Daniel Tuttle. Seven years later Seth Thomas went to work for the now renowned Eli Terry. Eli Terry had been given a contract to produce 4,000 wooden tall case movements over a three-year period. This type of production was unheard of at the time as previous to this clock movements were individually handmade.

This also meant that parts following the same pattern were often not interchangeable. In need of help, Eli Terry hired the 21-year-old Seth Thomas fresh out of training, along with Silas Hoadley. Thomas and Hoadley continued to produce tall case clocks and began to paint their names on the clock dials branding them "Thomas & Hoadley". Thomas produced more tall case clock movements until 1818 when he was approached by Terry. The two men came to an agreement that Thomas could manufacture and sell Terry's new shelf clock for a 50-cent royalty per clock.

Thomas continued to produce various types of wooden movements and clock styles until 1840, when the brass movement was being introduced. (Wooden tall case clock movement shown on left) Being a businessman and not an innovator, Thomas acquired this new technology from Chauncey Jerome who had brought the brass movement to the market. Seth Thomas placed his first brass movements into the market in 1842 which inevitably stopped production of wooden movements by about 1844. By 1850 Seth Thomas was producing 24,000 brass movements per year!

At this time, he employed about 50 men and was using water wheels and steam engines for power. On January 11, 1859, Thomas passed his presidency to his youngest son, Aaron. Thomas died eleven days later at the age of 73.

Shortly after his death Chauncey Jerome writing about Seth Thomas said, Seth Thomas was in many respects a first-rate man. Spring driven 30 hour and 8-day movements were introduced around 1860. During this same time frame, time only weight driven "Regulator" models were introduced.

The Seth Thomas clock company had three Regulator models called the Regulator #1, 2 and 3. It is probably the longest produced clock model in history and is still considered highly collectible. By 1860 the company was producing 40,000 clocks annually.

Seth Thomas had such an impact on his town of Plymouth Hollow that sixteen years after his death they incorporated as a separate town called Thomaston. In 1865 Seth Thomas's Sons & Company was formed as a joint stock corporation, to manufacture high grade pendulum movements and French imitation movements. (angel figural clock made by Seth Thomas's Sons & Company shown below) By the year 1870, 133,000 clocks were being produced annually at the Thomaston factory.

By 1872, Seth Thomas' Sons & Company employed 225 men and 340 women and had a trade catalogue with more than 100 different clock models. Seth Thomas' Sons & Company was absorbed by the Seth Thomas Company in 1879. Between 1883 and 1915 the Seth Thomas Clock Company began producing pocket watch movements. They produced 18 models, each in four grades. When Aaron Thomas retired in 1892, he was replaced by his nephew, William Thomas Woodruff who was then succeeded by Seth E. In 1931 the Seth Thomas Clock Company became a division of General Time Instruments Corporation.

By 1960 the company was only a shell of its former self, no longer making their own movements and most of their case work was being contracted out to other companies. In 1982 the company was moved from Thomaston, Connecticut to Norcross, Georgia. Please note all measurements are taken at the widest point, if you would like any additional or specific measurements please ask. Royal House Antiques is a privately owned family ran business founded in Wimbledon SW19 and now based in Pulborough RH20. We specialise in finding, restoring very fine luxury antique leather seating, along with every single other type of antique ranging from the 16.

We also stock a number of designer brands such as Fritz Hansen, Ralph Lauren, Cavalli, Charles & Ray Eames, Vitra, David Linley, Rolex, Tiffany, Jager Le Coulter and so on. Please view the very detailed pictures as they form part of the description pertaining to the condition.

Royal House Antiques cannot be held liable for any independent assumptions made regarding the items we sell, if you are unsure on any point, please feel free to ask for clarity. Please note vintage period and original items such as leather seating will always have natural patina in the form of creasing and wear, we recommend annual waxing to ensure no moisture is lost, also hand dyed leather is not recommended to sit in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time as it will dry out and fade. This item is in the category "Collectables\Decorative Collectables\Clocks\Desk, Mantel & Shelf Clocks".

The seller is "royal-house-antiques" and is located in this country: GB. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Character: Clocking
• Colour: Brown
• Clock Type: Mantel/ Carriage Clock
• Style/ Origin/ Theme: American
• Style: Art Nouveau
• Material: Bronze
• Type: Mantel/ Carriage Clock
• Antique: Yes
• Vintage: Yes
• Brand: Seth Thomas
• Original/Reproduction: Original
• Time Period Manufactured: 1850-1899
• Era: Victorian (1837-1900)
• Age: Antique, Pre-1900
• Sub-Type: Mantel Clock