Bracket clock. England, second half of the 19th century

Bracket clock. England, second half of the 19th century.
Paris movement inside. Brocot suspension.
Signed: Henry Dinmar London.
Without key. With pendulum.
Measurements: 59 x 36 x 24 cm.

Table clock bracket type, signed by the English watchmaker Henry Dinmar London. Its plated case has gilded bronze applications with ornamental motifs worked in relief forming openwork spandrels in fine tracery. The front corners, chamfered, are ornamented with floral motifs in gilded bronze. It presents architectural structure, with frontal in arch and dome type talud of curved angles. It rises on a molded base and is topped with pinnacles. The dial has Roman numerals (Arabic in the minutes) engraved in black on a golden circle. A second dial, with chiming function, allows it to be silenced. It has side handles for easy carrying.

Bracket watches of English origin stand out mainly for their mechanism, but also for their decoration. This typology has its origin in the decade of the 60's of the XVII century, when the pendulum is applied to the clock replacing the previous regulator of "foliot" or steering wheel. This change made it necessary to provide the mechanism with a case to protect it from shocks that could alter its movement. Thus were born the watches known in England as brackets, i.e. transportable watches. These were short case pieces, which housed inside a mechanism held between two thick plates and containing, as a driving force for each train, a combination of hub and snail. These clocks were initially designed to be placed on a bracket, hence their English name. This bracket was an independent piece that was usually manufactured at the same time, with decoration to match the clock. Later, however, the base and clock began to be made separately.