Lemuel Curtis Wall Timepiece or Banjo Clock. Concord, Massachusetts. OO-59.
This is a fine Federal Massachusetts wall timepiece or "Banjo clock" that was made in Concord, Massachusetts, circa 1820 by Lemuel Curtis.
This is a beautiful example. The case is constructed in mahogany and features rope-turned frames. Remnants of the original gilding remain. These frames are fitted with reverse-painted tablets.
The tablets are original to this clock and are done in very good colors. The lower tablet depicts a woman dressed in white sitting in the countryside. The throat tablet is also colorfully paint-decorated. It is signed in the lower banner by the Maker. It is signed "L. Curtis." This tablet has a small crack located one-third of the overall distance measured from the top.
The bezel is fitted with glass, and the side arms are brass. The bezel opens to a painted iron dial that is not signed. It features Arabic hour numerals and a gold-painted ring. A brass set of works is behind the dial.
The movement is weight driven and is designed to run for approximately eight days on a full wind. It is mounted to the back of the case with a single screw within a very distinctive cutout in the head. This cutout design is a Concord, MA feature, The bridge is a butterfly form, and the teeth in the gear train are deeply cut. The pendulum features a Concord-style keystone and a brass-faced bob. The tie-down is also the form of what one would expect to find in a clock made in Concord.
This clock measures approximately 33.25 inches long overall.
It is inventory number OO-59.
Lemuel Curtis was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, on July 3, 1790, to Samuel and Sarah (Partridge) Curtis. Sarah had five sisters, and four of them married clockmakers: Abel Hutchins, Elnathan Taber, Aaron Willard, and Samuel Curtis. Lemuel likely learned his craft from Simon Willard, a well-known clockmaker in Roxbury. In December 1811, Lemuel moved to Concord, Massachusetts, and opened his own shop near the courthouse. He advertised that he was working independently at that time. On December 1, 1814, he married Sarah Abbott of Concord. Two years later, on July 12, 1816, he received a patent for the Girandole wall clock. Many consider this decorative clock to be one of America's most beautiful contributions to clockmaking. Its gilded pendulum box was inspired by the round girandole mirrors popular between 1810 and 1830. In 1820, Lemuel partnered with Joseph N. Dunning, and they moved their business to Burlington, Vermont, in 1821. Their shop was at the corner of Church and College Streets in the Thomas Hotel, near the courthouse. They worked together until 1832, making clocks and silver items, and also selling watches, jewelry, and other goods. On May 4, 1832, they announced the end of their partnership. Afterward, Curtis continued in retail, selling items like bonnets, parasols, raisins, molasses, codfish, and mackerel. During the depression of 1837, he mortgaged his property and his pew in the White Meeting House. In 1839, he became an agent for looking glasses and later worked as a jeweler. Lemuel died in New York on June 17, 1857. He is remembered for making girandoles, timepieces, lyre clocks, and shelf clocks.
