Clockmaking brilliance from centuries ago was honoured when a 328-year-old timepiece made by England’s most famous clockmaker sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds at auction.
A Thomas Tompion bracket clock, circa 1690, soared to £200,000 when it went under the hammer at Hansons Actioneers’ Fine Art Auction held at Bishton Hall, Staffordshire. (Oct 12)
The ‘masterpiece’ was snapped up by an anonymous buyer, UK-based, who will pay £230,000 for the privilege of owning the historical treasure once fees and VAT are added.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons, said: “It’s a truly magnificent and historically important object which thoroughly deserves to achieve this sale figure.
“The clock was unearthed in Derbyshire. It has come from the Belper estate of a North Derbyshire man linked to the mining industry.
“It is a particularly fine example of Tompion’s work – work which has stood the test of time. His bracket clocks are regarded as masterpieces.
“Tompion was an inventor as well as a maker of clocks of the finest quality. Fastidious when it came to detail, design and the use of quality materials, he set unrelenting high standards. He developed an unrivalled reputation worldwide and his work is still admired to this day. I call him Father Time.”
Tompion, the son of a Bedfordshire blacksmith, lived from 1639 to 1713. He opened a business near Fleet Street, London, in 1671 and was closely associated with mathematician and scientist Robert Hooke. This relationship was key to Tompion’s success as it opened doors to royal patronage and the latest technology.
When the Royal Observatory was established in 1676, King Charles II selected Tompion to create two identical clocks. These were fixed in the Octagon room, with both clocks needing to be wound only once a year. They proved very accurate and were instrumental in achieving the correct calculations needed for astronomical observations.
Tompion also made some of the first watches with balance springs and created the standard mechanism pattern used in English watches throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.
As England’s most prominent watchmaker, his workshop built about 5,500 watches and 650 clocks which are renowned for their ingenious design and robust construction.
The Thomas Tompion clock was sold on October 12 at Hansons Auctioneers’ Bishton Hall Contents and Autumn Fine Art Sale, which is being held at Bishton Hall, Wolseley Bridge, Staffordshire, ST17 0XN. The sale continues on October 15 when the Staffordshire mansion plays host to a Fine Gallery Paintings and Library Auction. It will end on Friday, October 19 with Farewell to Bishton – The Attic sale, from 12 noon. Viewing from 9am-noon. To find out more, visit www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk or www.the-saleroom.com.
