David Wood of Newburyport, Massachusetts. A diminutively sized inlaid cherry case tall clock. 211047.
This is a fine inlaid cherry tall case clock with a lovely painted dial signed by David Wood of Newburyport, Massachusetts. This clock is a diminutive size. It measures a mere 85.5 inches tall to the top of the finial or 83 inches to the top of the arches. It is not often that American tall clocks were built to this scale. This example was made circa 1800.
This high-style country example is constructed in cherry and features several line inlay patterns and fans that decorate the case. The cherry wood maintains a warm finish. The case stands up on four applied French feet. These feet are flared, raising the base section off the floor and providing space for a decorative drop apron. The front of the base panel features horizontal graining. A delicate string inlay pattern follows the perimeter. Each of the four corners of this line inlay pattern is decorated with three-petal quarter fans. The waist of this clock is fitted with a large tombstone-shaped waist door. This door is also lined with inlaid. The arch of the door displays a six-petal fan. The outer edge of the door is trimmed with a cockbeaded molding that is applied from the sides. The front corners of the waist section are fitted with turned quarter columns decorated with line inlays and ring turned about halfway up. These terminate in turned wooden quarter capitals. The bonnet features a lovely swan's neck molding. The arches center a finial plinth that supports a turned wooden finial that has been gilded. The bonnet door is arched and fitted with glass. The interior frame of this door features a cockbeaded molding. Delicate bonnet columns are positioned at the four corners of the case and terminate in fully turned wooden capitals.
The iron dial is colorfully painted and of local origin. Interestingly, it measures 14 inches across, and the time ring has a diameter of 13.5 inches. This is an unusually large format. The standard tall clock dial for this period measures 12 inches from side to side. Gilt finials and swags decorate the spandrel areas. This decoration is three-dimensional due to the raised gesso work applied to the dial. Two red-breasted birds are located in the arch of the dial. They stand under colorful drapery. This dial is signed "David Wood, Newburyport" below the calendar aperture. The time track is formatted with large Roman numerals that mark the hours, and smaller Arabic numerals indicate each of the five-minute markers. This dial also displays subsidiary seconds and a day of the month calendar. The iron hands are hand-filed and simply formed. They are very effective.
The time and strike movement is of good quality. It is constructed in brass and features steel pinions. It is weight-driven and designed to run for eight days on a full wind and to strike each hour on a bell.
This clock stands approximately 7 feet 2.5 inches tall.
Inventory number 211047.
David Wood was born to John Wood (1727–1805) and Eunice (Fellows) Wood (1737–1801) in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on July 5, 1766, during a period of burgeoning craftsmanship in early America. He likely apprenticed under either Daniel Balch Senior or a member of the Mulliken family—both recognized as influential clockmakers in colonial New England. These apprenticeships were critical pathways for transmitting specialized skills and sustaining the region’s reputation for horological excellence.
By June 13, 1792, David Wood had established his own shop in Market Square, as reported in the Essex Journal and New Hampshire Packet. His business was strategically located near Reverend Andrews' Meeting House, a hub of community activity, reflecting the importance of visible, central locations for artisans of the period. Three years later, he married Elizabeth Bird (1769–1846) of Newbury, further cementing his ties to the local community.
Wood’s career coincided with a transformative era in American clockmaking, marked by innovation and expanding markets. In addition to crafting clocks, Wood was an active retailer. His 1806 advertisement for "Willard's best Patent Timepieces"—well-known products of the pioneering Willard family—illustrates his connection to broader networks of American clockmakers and his responsiveness to consumer demand.
In 1818, partnering with local silversmith Abel Moulton, Wood moved his enterprise into the former shop of Thomas H. Balch, another figure in Newburyport’s artisan community. By 1824, he relocated to the west side of Market Square, opposite the Market House, demonstrating both business adaptability and the fluid nature of commercial life in early 19th-century New England towns. After Elizabeth’s death in 1846, Wood moved to Lexington to be near his son David.
David Wood’s legacy as a master clockmaker and retailer is evident in the many surviving examples of his work—wall, shelf, and tall-case clocks signed by his hand. His long career reflects not only personal success but also the broader evolution of American craftsmanship and commerce during the early republic.
