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Banjo clock
Simon Willard (American, 1753–1848)
1800–10
Object Place: Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States
Medium/Technique
Gilded, gessoed wood, reverse glass paintings, painted dial, brass gears
Dimensions
108.0 x 26.7 x 10.5 cm (42 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 4 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Henry Saltonstall Howe
Accession Number1994.315
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAmericas
DescriptionBanjo clock having a round, painted iron face bearing Roman numerals and spear-shaped hour and minute hands, circular convex glass door with brass bezel and latch, and surmounted by a gilded wooden eagle finial. Gilded composition vine brackets flank the throat which has been reverse painted on glass in a gold diaper pattern on a field of pale blue. A yellow rope framework surrounds the design. The lower section of the throat is decorated with a sun with a face. The lower tablet bears reverse painting on glass of an oval design within a rectangular format decorated with a diaper pattern and foliate decoration. The entire face of the banjo clock is framed with shallow, gilded pilasters. The gilded presentation bracket bears broad fluting, spheres descending from the box, and an acorn terminus.
InscriptionsPainted on lower rectangular element: "S. WILLARD'S PATENT"
ProvenanceHenry Saltonstall Howe (b. 1910 - d. 1994), Boston; 1994, bequest of Henry Saltonstall Howe to the MFA. (Accession Date December 14, 1994)