I’m not renowned for my timekeeping but I certainly know of a man who is – Thomas Tompion, writes Charles Hanson.
Thomas was born more than 370 years in 1639 and lived until 1713, but though he came into this world centuries ago he has left a lasting legacy to the world.
I like to call him Father Time, such was her expertise when it came to making elegant clocks of quality.
And I’m very proud to say we have an outstanding example of his work in our Autumn Fine Art Auction, a bracket clock dating back to circa 1700. His bracket clocks are regarded as masterpieces.
I’ll leave you to ponder its estimate as I tell you a little more about Thomas. Born in Northill, Bedfordshire, he was the eldest son of a blacksmith and became apprentice to a London clockmaker.
His early clockmaking style shows a strong connection to fellow clock maker Joseph Knibb. This is important as Tompion’s early patron was scientist Robert Hooke who may have known the Knibb family. Hooke’s relationship with Tompion was key to his success as it opened doors to royal patronage and the latest technology.
Tompion’s excellence was based on the sound design of his products and quality materials. This together with the outstanding skills of his workmen gave him an unrivalled reputation worldwide.
When the Royal Observatory was established in 1676, King Charles II selected Tompion to create two identical clocks based on Hooke’s idea of a very long pendulum swinging in a very small arc. These were fixed in the Octagon room, each driven by a deadbeat escapement designed by Richard Towneley, with both clocks only needing to be wound once a year. They proved very accurate and were instrumental in achieving the correct calculations needed for astronomical observations.
Due to his relationship with Hooke, Tompion made some of the first watches with balance springs, which had the potential to be much more accurate than earlier watches.
Several different kinds were experimented with including an early type with double balances geared together in order to eliminate errors of motion. One of these was made for King Charles II and was signed ‘Robert Hooke invent. 1658. T. Tompion fecit, 1675’.
Tompion created the standard mechanism pattern which came to be 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 – clocks renowned for their ingenious design and robust construction.
So, you can imagine my delight when a Thomas Tompion bracket clock arrived at our saleroom. Have you guessed its estimate? Let me enlighten you. It is £120,000 to £150,000.
It’s one of our Strictly stars in (well, we all watch Strictly) in our Autumn Fine Art Auction, which runs from October 10-16 and will take place at Bishton Hall, Staffordshire. Entries invited for our Christmas Fine Art Auction. We welcome jewellery, clocks and watches, fine paintings, clocks, silver, connoisseur ceramics, fine furniture, antiquarian books and more. To find out more, email [email protected] or call 01283 733988.
And don’t forget, we offer free valuations at Hansons, Heage Lane, Etwall, on Wednesdays, 5-7pm; Fridays, 10am-4pm and Saturdays, 9am-noon.
