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A Fine Chippendale Cherry-Cased Tall Clock, circa 1780, by John Avery of Preston, Connecticut
Among the few surviving tall clocks by John Avery, this example stands out for its unusually narrow proportions, distinctive hood architecture, early brass dial, and substantial eight-day movement. The clock offers a particularly refined expression of Connecticut craftsmanship around the American Revolution.
Of the seven tall clocks by Avery that we have identified, this example is especially notable for its relationship to a clock in the Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer House Museum overlooking Stonington Harbor. The two cases share several distinctive design elements, though the present example is notably narrower and more restrained in execution.
The cherry case retains a warm, mellow surface and stands on ogee bracket feet with an unusual spur return beneath a scalloped apron. The waist is framed by canted, fluted corners and fitted with a tombstone-shaped door. Above, the hood is particularly distinctive, with fully turned columns fitted with brass capitals and bases, a pierced whale’s-tail fret, three fluted chimneys, and carved cherry flame finials. Together, these elements give the case an architectural character that is both elegant and unmistakably individual.
The early brass dial is signed John Avery, PRESTON, and features “Dolphin” and “Cockleshell” spandrels. Its matted center incorporates a subsidiary seconds dial and calendar aperture. Behind the dial is a substantial eight-day movement with four shaped pillars, polished pinions, brass gearing, a recoil escapement, and rack-and-snail striking.
John Avery was born in Preston, Connecticut, on December 6, 1732. He was a remarkably versatile craftsman whose activities extended far beyond clockmaking. His surviving account book, covering the period from 1762 until he died in 1794, records work as a goldsmith, silversmith, engraver, clockmaker, tailor, shoemaker, and farmer. It documents an extraordinary range of commissions and repairs, including silverware, jewelry, gun fittings, saddlery, watches, guns, swords, spectacles, and numerous household objects.
Avery appears to have been particularly accomplished as an engraver. Several surviving clock dials associated with his shop display engraving of exceptional quality, among the finest produced in Connecticut during the period. His teacher remains unknown, and current scholarship suggests that he may have been largely self-taught. He appears to have passed his knowledge of the craft to his sons, John Jr. and William.
Avery died in Preston on July 23, 1794. With only a small number of his clocks known to survive, this finely proportioned example stands as a rare and particularly appealing document of early Connecticut clockmaking.
Dimensions: Height 92.5", Width 20.5", Depth 10"
Inventory 226028
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