Description
Movement, dial and alarum from a monstrance clock; verge escapement with balance; spring-driven; striking-trains for 1-12 or 1-24 hours as required and for the quarters; separate alarum and dial above the main dial; dial (reading outwards from centre): blued-steel minute hand; astronomical indications; indications read from hour hand for Italian, Nürnberg and Babylonian hours; chapter-ring; calendar; chapter-ring; outer ring; back of movement with six dials (clockwise from top): (1) regulator; (2) last hour struck; (3) change over lever for 12 or 24 hours; (4) last quarter struck; (5) setting for Nürnberg hours and sun in zodiac; (6) days of week; twenty-four hour striking controlled by blued steel ring let into back-plate; original metal case replaced by 'Boulle'-type wooden case.
The following text is the entry for this object from the unpublished catalogue of pre-pendulum clocks by John Leopold, former Assistant Keeper of Horology at the Museum. This information is unedited and should be used accordingly.
THE TWO MOVEMENTS OF A MONSTRANCE CLOCK IN LATER WOODEN CASE.
By Thomas Starck, Augsburg 1620; the case French, end of the 17th century.
Engraved near the winding squares of the relevant trains: "GW" (Gehwerk), "FW" (Fiertelwerk) and "SW" (Stundenwerk). The fly of the quarter striking train has a punched "Q" (= Quartier); the barrel wall, the brass wheels and the fly have additionally been scratched with "Q" and "4" (the letters Q under the gilding). the fly of the hour-striking train has a punched "S" (= Stunden); the brass wheels have scratched letters "S" (under the gilding).
Stippled on the movement side of the set-up ratchet wheel for the going train: "3" (under the gilding).
Scratched on the back of the disc of the astrolabe: "PS 1842".
Case: The present case of the clock is a French religious case with a tortoise shell and metal inlay, dating from the end of the 17th century. The two movements, however, clearly originated as parts of a large monstrance clock. The original case is almost entirely lost. The only surviving fragment is the housing of the alarm movement; this was not discarded because it was easier to mount the alarm movement in it. A few additional particulars of the original case can be derived from the remaining traces.
The main portion of the original case, which contained the larger of the surviving movements, was cylindrical; since the diameter of the curvature of the base of the alarm case is about the same as that of the main movement plates it is likely that the band of the case was quite thin. The main movement and dial are used to slide into the case from the front. The base of the clock contained the hour bell, the vertical hammer-arbor being contained in the stem. The alarm movement was contained in a small turret of rectangular section, parts of which survive.
The alarm-case, of brass gilded on the visible sides only, is constructed as follows. There is a curved base which was screwed to the main case by two screws; this base carries two steel bolts that attach the top plate with two brass nuts. The vertical sides (the back, the two side panels, and the dial plate, the latter now missing) are each held by two lugs at the top and at the bottom, fitting into slots in the base and the top plate. The sides and back are pierced and engraved and now lack applied ornaments; the sides have separate corner pillars (attached by three screws each). The entire construction is reminiscent of the case of a tabernacle clock. The alarm case originally had corner finials, and there was a superstructure of a near-circular section.
Dials: There are several dials, all largely original. The main dial is on the front; when the clock was re-cased this dial was enlarged. At the top of the clock is the alarm dial, and at the back of the main movement, there are six subsidiary dials: all of these are original.
Main dial: Most parts of the main dial are mounted on the steel dial plate, which is pinned to the movement by four riveted brass feet. It carries the fixed chapter ring and all rings outside that; the inner portion of the dial is carried by the front plate of the movement and projects through a large aperture in the dial plate. The dial plate, which is secured to the inside of the case by four circular latches, replaces the original plate which was discarded when the clock was recased.
At the centre of the main dial is a mechanical astrolabe, made of gilded brass. There is a single fixed disc, engraved for 48 (marked: "LATIT POLI 48 GRAD"), with the usual curves, including the lines for the planetary hours and for the celestial houses. On top of the disc is the blued steel hand for the Nodes, shaped like a dragon. Then follows the Rete, pierced to show the position of 27 stars, each marked with the name and magnitude, as indicated by the text: "STELLARVM FIXARVM NOMINEET MAGNITVDINES NVMERVS NOTAT". The stars are:
VVLTVR VOLANS (no pointer or magnitude)
AQVILLA 2
LIR(a) 1
CAPVT ANTINOI 2
CYG(nis) (no pointer or magnitude)
SCAP(ula) PEGASI 2
CA(put Pegasi) 2
CAPVT SERPENT(is) 3
ARCTVRVS 1
CORONA 2
PALMA SER(pentarii) 3
COR CAPRICORNI 5
CRVS AQUARI 3
CAVDA CETI 3
VENTER CETI 3
NARIS (ceti) 3
ERIDANVS FLVVI(us) 3
OCCVLVS T(auri) 1
SIN(ister) PES ORIONI 1
CANIS MAIOR 1
CANICVLA 1
LVCIDA HIDRA(e) 2
COR LEONIS 1
FUND(um) VASI 4
ROSTRA CORVI 3
SPICA VIRGINIS 1
COR SCORPION(is) 2
In addition, the spring- and autumn-points are marked "VER" and "AVTVMN(us)". The Ecliptic has relief representations of the constellation, with the background filled with soft enamel in four colours: Aries - red, Taurus - green, Gemini - yellow, Cancer - white, and so on (the colours repeated in the same order).
Over the rete move the customary gilded brass hands for the sun and moon; for the sun (i.e. the hour-hand) have been extended to reach the added outer ring for Italian hours (see later). The sun-hand has at the centre a volvelle for the phases of the moon and a scale 1 - 29 plus a half-division marked by a cross; the moon-hand has a hole to show the phases and a pointer to indicate the age of the moon, and it is engraved with an aspectarium. Over these hands moves the blued steel minute hand.
The astrolabe is surrounded by an assembly of circular shutters to show the length of day and night. The inner disc, of gilded brass, is marked 1 - 24 for the Italian hours; it is fixed to the blued-steel shutter for the night hours. The outer disc, which lies under it, is also of gilded brass; it is marked 1 - 24 for the Babylonian hours and is fixed to the silver shutter for the day hours. Both shutters are engraved with quarter-hour divisions and the full hours are numbered 1 - 19; at the beginning of each scale is the "4" of 24. The engraving of the silver day-shutter is filled with red wax. The combined scales of the shutters indicate the Nuremberg hours.
Around the discs of the shutters is the silvered brass chapter ring, which is pinned to the dial plate by 6 feet. It is marked twice I - XII for the ordinary hours, with simple half-hour marks. The inner edge has a scale for the half hours; around the outer edge is a scale of minutes marked 5 - 60. At 2 o'clock (night) is a hole to allow access to the square for adjusting the date ring. This chapter ring is a replacement; the curious shape of the minute figures suggests that it dates from the 19th century (see Conversions).
The chapter ring revolves around the date ring. It is made of gilded brass and is held in position by a recess around the outer edge of the chapter ring, which covers the ring of teeth. The date ring is divided into 365 days, each marked with the date, the date letter, and a saint's name; on the outer portion are the names of the months with the number of their days. All these punched letters and figures are filled with black or red wax. Red is all the date letters A, the words "HABET" after the names of the months, and the important saints: (Jan.1) CIRCVM.CIS, (Jan.6) EPIPHAN, (25 Jan.) CONVPAVLI, (2 Feb.) PVRIFMAR, (22 Feb.) CATHPETR, (24 Feb.) MATHIAS, (12 March) GREGORIVS, (25 March) ANVNCMAR, (24 Apr.) GEORGIVS, (1 May) PHILIP IAC, (3 May) INVEN CRVC, (12 May) PANCRATI9, (25 May) VRBANVS, (15 June) VITVSMOD, (24 June) IOHANNES, (29 June) PETRIPAVL, (2 July) VDALRICH, (13 July) MARGARIT, (15 July) DIVIAPOS, (22 July) MAGDALEN, (25 July) IACOBVS, (7 Aug.) AFRAMAR, (10 Aug.) LAVRENTI, (15 Aug.) ASVMMARI, (24 Aug.) BARTHOLO, (8 Sept.) NATAMARI, (14 Sept.) EXAL CRVC, (21 Sept.) MATHEVS, (29 Sept.) MICHAELIS, (16 Oct.) GALLVS, (28 Oct.) SIMONIVD, (1 Nov.) OMNISANC, (2 Nov.) ANIMARVM, (11 Nov.) MARTINVS, (21 Nov.) PRESEMAR, (26 Nov.) CONRADVS, (30 Nov.) ANDREAS, (6 Dec.) NICOLAVS, (8 Dec.) CONCEMAR, (21 Dec.) THOMAS, (25 Dec.) NATDICH, (26 Dec.) STEFANVS, (27 Dec.) IOHANNES, and (28 Dec.) INOCENTVS. For the other saints see the illustrations and Commentary. - The date ring is read by a steel pointer on the left, which is screwed to the dial plate; it can be adjusted by means of the winding square in the chapter ring.
The silvered brass rings that surround the date ring are not original: they were added when the clock was re-cased. One is a moveable ring for the Italian hours, the other a narrow fixed ring with two scales.
The ring for the Italian hours moves with the disc for the night hours and is operated by the same mechanism; although the Italian hours were commonly numbered 1 - 24 this ring has a division in twice I - XII; there are fleur-de-lys half-hour marks, two of which are large and filled with red wax. Around the inner edge of the ring is a scale for quarter-hours. The ring is operated by a pin which projects through a slot in the dial-plate.
The red pointers of the large Italian hour ring indicate two scales on the narrow outer ring, which is fixed to the steel dial plate by 6 small screws. On the left is a degree scale divided twice 0 - 23½, and marked "BDeclinatio SolisM", apparently for "Bis Declinatio Solis Mensura". The Latin is not quite correct, but the meaning is clear: "twice the measure of the Sun's declination", i.e. a double scale for the angular distance of the sun from the equator. This is indeed what the scale indicates: at the equinoxes, the sun is on the equator, at the solstices ca. 23½° removed from it. The scale on the right is similar, but here the division is twice 0 - 34 and it is marked "BAmplitudo SolisM", apparently for "Bis Amplitudo Solis Mensura", i.e. a double scale for the distance of the Sun's rising/setting from the East/West. Both scales are obtained only for the one latitude where the longest day is about 15½ hours (ca.45°). Otherwise the narrow outer ring carries two steel indicators, one at the top marked "Tempus meridei" and another at the bottom marked "Tempus mediæ noctis", to indicate the time of midday and of midnight on the ring for Italian hours.
Subsidiary dials (back of the main movement): The backplate of the movement has six subsidiary dials; there are five enamelled silver discs and one enamelled silver ring, all riveted with silver rivets to gilded brass bridges having elaborately pierced and engraved feet. The ornament of the feet, of the pointer for the 24-hour count-ring, and of the cock consists of foliage inhabited by animals and birds.
The subsidiary dials indicate, clock-wise from 12 o'clock: the calendar for the length-of-day shutters with at its centre the dial for adjusting the latitude, the days-of-the-week, the regulator, the control dial for the 12-hour strike, the dial for switching the striking from 12- to 24-hour, and the control-dial for the quarter striking. Curiously the first two dials are much better engraved than the others, which are probably by a different hand; however, the colours are the same in all dials: yellow, green, blue, purple (all translucent) and black.
The calendar for the length of the day has representations of the zodiacal constellations surrounded by a double-degree scale. The scale is read by the small figure of the sun, which sits on the inner disc. This disc is divided 12 - 19, to be read by the manually adjustable hand: the figures represent the length of the longest day or night at the position for which the shutters have been adjusted.
The week-day dial is divided into seven sections, each having the name of the day (in Latin) and a representation of the appropriate planet.
The regulator dial is divided 1 - 8, the 12-hour striking dial 1 - 12, the switching dial 12 - 24, and the quarter dial 1 - 4; all these dials have at their centre a simple ornament of foliage and a bird.
All the subsidiary dials have gilded brass hands. They are all original, including the regulator hand which, being manually adjustable, had to be fairly rugged.
Alarm dial: The dial assembly consists of a circular dial plate with four feet; it carries the silver chapter ring, which is secured by four brass rivets. The ring is divided I - XII, with simple half-hour marks, surrounding a scale divided into quarters. Numbers, marks and scales are filled with black enamel. Around the chapterring is a profile ring of gilded brass, riveted to the dial plate. Within the chapter ring is the moveable alarm disc of gilded brass, divided 1 - 12; the disc is carried by a later washer and no longer operates the alarm release. The gilded brass hand, which is similar to those on the back of the main movement, is original.