Aaron Willard Boston, MA. A superb inlaid mahogany case tall clock in a historic surface. The cabinet attributed to Major Stephen Badlam Sr. of Dorchester. The painted dial by Boston ornamental artist John Minot. XX-10.

This fantastic clock combines the skill and high-quality workmanship of three of New England's most talented artisans. The Boston clockmaker Aaron Willard, the cabinet shop of Stephen Badlam, and the dial painter John Minot combined to produce this incredible and ambitious example. The high Federal style of this clock was a fitting complement to the interior of Boston's best homes. Four other closely related Aaron Willard examples are known. The last one to sell publicly was purchased by Historic Deerfield in 2014, with funds pledged by sixty generous supporters in a relatively short period of time. This clock was important to the museum because Colonel Asa Stebbins owned it. Col. Stebbins owned a house in Deerfield Village. It is reported that Stebbins originally purchased that clock for his home. Sotheby's sold the Stebbins clock in New York for $185,000. A second comparable example is in the collection of Historic New England (aas. no. 1969.775). It is illustrated in Penny J Sander's, Elegant Embellishments: Furnishings from New England Homes 1600-1860. A third example bearing the S. Badlam (cabinetmaker) die-stamp is currently in the collection of The Willard House and Clock Museum. The fourth example was sold in 2003 at a Landry Auction in Essex, MA, for $253,000.

The clock discussed here is a special example and was ordered through Aaron Willard's Boston shop. The clockmaker was often responsible for providing the entire clock. He was not only responsible for manufacturing the mechanism but also the general contractor for the entire project. Aaron had developed a reputation for making fine clocks. He was a prolific clockmaker, and hundreds of examples have been traded in the last decade, suggesting that he had a flourishing business. The client for this clock must have requested a complex example. The additional work displayed in this cabinet must have added considerably to the already high cost of a tall clock. 

This inlaid mahogany case is attributed to the Badlam school of cabinetmakers, working in a cabinet shop in Dorchester's Lower Mills. It is the pattern and the complexity on which this attribution is based. The case exhibits excellent masculine proportions. The case is proudly elevated on four applied ogee bracket feet. They are well-formed and feature a sharp c-scroll return. A double-stepped molding provides a smooth transition to the base. The base panel is complex. It features an intricate inlay presentation, incorporating half-chevron line inlay, book-matched veneers, cross-banding, and inlaid quarter fans with alternating-color pedals and figured veneers. The case's waist section is long and narrow. The sides of this case are fitted with brass stop-fluted quarter columns that terminate in brass quarter capitals. These flank the distinctively formed waist door. The four corners of the door are cut away. As a result, the inlaid quarter fans are part of the door frame and not the door. This is a recurring design element in Badlam's best cases. The perimeter of the door is trimmed with applied molding. It is also cross-banded with mahogany veneer. One can access the two tin-can drive weights and the brass-faced pendulum bob through this door. The bonnet features a double-break arch design. The area separating the two moldings is decorated with an inlaid patera in its center, bookend inlays at the corners, and intricately designed blind frets. The top of the upper arch supports a pierced and open fretwork pattern that includes three line-laid and veneered finial plinths. These are fitted with three brass ball-and-spike finials. The bonnet columns are also brass, stop-fluted, and terminate in brass capitals. Quarter columns are also used in the back corners of the hood. The side panels feature tombstone-shaped side lights or windows. The bonnet door is arched and opens to access the colorfully painted iron dial.

The colorfully painted 12-inch iron dial is of local origin and was painted by the Boston ornamental artist John Minot. Similar dials are known with the artist's signature signed on the back. In the lunette of this dial, one will find the automated feature of a lunar calendar or a moon phase mechanism. This visual display shows the phases of the moon. The lunar month is approximately 29.5 days in length. Between the two moons painted on the disk are two opposing scenes. The first is nautical, depicting a fully rigged warship at sea. The opposing view is a farm scene. The most prominent features are a large building, a large tree, and people. The four spandrel areas are decorated with colorful floral patterns. The spandrels help frame the time track, which is laid out in two different formats. The hours are indicated in large Roman-style numerals. The five-minute markers are painted in Arabic form. A dotted minute ring separates them. The subsidiary seconds dial and month calendar displays are located inside the time ring. This example is signed on the dial in large block letters, "Aaron Willard," across the center. 

This fine movement is constructed in brass and is of good quality. Four turned brass pillars support the two rectangular brass plates. Hardened steel shafts support the polished steel pinions, brass gearing, grooved winding drums, and recoil escapement. The movement is weight-driven and designed to run for eight days on a full wind. It is a two-train, or time-and-strike, design with a rack-and-snail striking system. As a result, it will strike each hour on the hour on a cast iron bell mounted above the movement. 

This is a beautiful example. It measures approximately 94.25 inches tall to the top of the center finial, 22.25 inches wide, and 10.75 inches deep. 

STEPHEN BADLAM.

Stephen Badlam was born on May 7, 1751, in Stoughton, now Canton, Massachusetts. His parents were Deacon Stephen Badlam, a part-time cabinetmaker and tavern keeper, and his wife, Hannah (Clapp) Badlam. They had four children, Hannah, Eliza, Stephen, and William. Stephen's mother, Hannah, died on March 16, 1756, when he was just five years old. His father married again, but he died soon after. This left Stephen and his siblings with a challenging childhood. He was essentially orphaned. At the age of 15, he moved to Dorchester to live and work with his older brother Ezra. Stephen was trained at an early age as a surveyor and as a cabinetmaker. In 1773, the two brothers formed a furniture-making partnership in the Lower Mills section of Dorchester, across the Neponset River from Milton. The community was a small but busy coastal port and manufacturing center.

Stephen was a patriotic man. He answered the Lexington Alarm at the rank of a sergeant in Captain Daniel Vose's train band company and marched to Roxbury. He joined the American Army in 1775 and served honorably during the Revolutionary War. First commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and then to Captain in the same year. In military service, he met Washington, whom he admired greatly. He also met Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette, who presented him with a sword. Badlam's regiment was ordered to Canada, and he sailed up the Hudson River to command the artillery. At this time, he was promoted to Major. On July 4, 1776, he took possession of a rise of ground opposite Fort Ticonderoga. On July 18, he named this location "Independence," a name subsequently confirmed by General Gates. A serious illness forced Stephen to resign from the army and return to Massachusetts. In 1777, he and his wife, Mary, settled in Dorchester's Lower Mills with a newborn daughter, Polly. They had six other children: Stephen, Abigail, Nancy, Lucretia, John, and Clarissa. After the war, Stephen was made a General in the Massachusetts militia. By 1785, he re-established his cabinetmaking career. Historians now believe he did very little handwork in this second creation of his furniture business. His role was to keep his employees busy, and he was responsible for the shop's day-to-day operations. An advertisement placed on March 3, 1785, advertised "Mahogany Desks, Tables, Bureaus, Chairs, Bedsteads, and Cabinet Work of various Kinds, made and sold on reasonable Terms, By Stephen Badlam, of Dorchester near Milton Bridge, when any person may be supplied with good Work for shipping or other use, and have it delivered at any Place required." He soon built up a substantial business. He also provided turnings for other cabinetmakers in the neighborhood and sold picture-frame materials and window glass. A number of pieces of furniture have been identified with his cabinetmaker's stamp. We also know that he made the finest design clock cases for Simon, Aaron, and Ephraim Willard. He also sold them to some of their apprentices, including William Cummnens and Elnathan Taber. His Dorchester home became a center of current discussion and served as a school from 1793 to 1799. He was active in civic affairs and was also appointed Justice of the Peace in 1791. He opposed the City of Boston's annexation of Dorchester Neck. In 1798, Elizabeth Turner became his second wife. Stephen died in 1815.

Stephen Badlam's estate was valued at over $24,000 in 1815. In contrast, it is said that the average laborer earned about $30 a year. This was a considerable sum for the time and indicated the social position he enjoyed. Today, Badlam's furniture is recognized by collectors for its fine quality and is eagerly sought out.

Inventory number XX-10.