A very rare 18th century four-train musical, quarter chiming longcase clock movement with moonphase and calendar indication now in a later custom made case Stephen Asselin, London
Stephen Asselin, LondonThe 13 inch arched brass dial surmounted by a silvered arc detailing each of the twenty four possible tunes (played via two interchangeable pinned brass barrels), over subsidiary dials for strike/silent and for chime/not chime, with Roman and Arabic chapter ring, subsidiary seconds dial containing the date of the month, further subsidiaries for month and sign of the zodiac, day and deity, signed on a burnished reserve, the monumental movement with rectangular plates united by ten knopped pillars, with three weight-driven trains for the quarters (on six bells and hammers), hours (on a bell mounted to the backboard) and going, the fourth train for the music being chain fusee driven and playing on up to twelve bells and twenty four hammers, now contained in a custom-made walnut long case with overhanging cornice, and panels of lively veneer, the heavy steel-rod pendulum terminating in a large brass-faced lenticular bob and suspended with a knife edge suspension from a heavy steel rod measuring 1.27m (4ft 2ins) secured to the backboard.Together with a second pinned brass barrel 12 inches long and 1.75 inches in diameter. 242cm high.