Grandfather antechamber clock. England, second half of the 18th century

Grandfather antechamber clock. England, second half of the eighteenth century.
Walnut, walnut root and marquetry.
Morez machinery signed by William Underwood, London, of great complication with rare nine-bell repeating chime.
Front dial with Roman numerals in polychrome metal. Second hand, calendar and repeater hand with missing polychrome. The machinery needs to be overhauled.
With key, pendulum and weights.
Exhibits wear consistent with age and use. Slight flaws in the marquetry and in the polychrome of the dial. Faults. One hand is metal. Needs a general overhaul.
Measurements: 270 x 50 x 30 cm.

Known in England as "grandfather clock", a name that comes from the 1876 song "My grandfather's clock", it is a tall case clock or anteroom clock. It is a type of clock very representative of the eighteenth century, especially appreciated and valued, which was placed against the wall in visible areas of the house as the hall or anteroom. It is a model originally from the Netherlands, but soon spread throughout the rest of Europe.

The present case has a carved wooden case decorated with vegetal marquetry depicting herringbone and fleuron motifs combined with fine wood fillets. The dial, which features the name of the firm, has Roman numerals for the hours. The case containing the dial is embellished with floral polychrome panels and ends in a fretwork crest with two lateral pinnacles.