Cummer Vallin Table Clock Very few clocks and watches made by Nicholas Vallin, a brilliant maker of active during the late 1500s in London. This extraordinary horizontal hour-striking table clock is one of two Vallin masterpieces exhibited on Clocktime. Known as the Cummer Vallin Table Clock, it was made around 1595. A masterpiece in its own right, it is a rare example of a late Elizabethan era table clock and personifies the decorative nature of timekeepers produced throughout Europe during this time. The Cummer Vallin’s case is wholly made of mercury gilt brass. Its dial is elevated on an engraved and pierced structure, which houses the bell. It features a delicate silver champlevé chapter ring with Roman numerals and engraved flower-head half hour markers. Within the chapter ring is a gilt 24 hour ring with engraved Arabic numerals from 13 to 24. The pierced and engraved centre disc features fan spandrels, similar to those engraved on the corners of the upper top plate. The fan spandrels on the dial radiate out from the pierced centre and are interspersed by foliage. A single hour hand indicates the time. The positioning of chapter ring is somewhat confusing to the modern eye. The XII does not line up with the top middle of the case, as we are used to. Instead, Vallin positioned the XII so that it lines up with the case’s corner. Thus, at first glance, the clock appears to run around 15 minutes fast. But upon closer inspection of the dial, this confusion is quickly resolved, as reading the time on the Cummer Vallin just requires a little inspection and a bit of re-orientation. Superb architectural engravings feature on each vertical side of the clock’s mercury gilt-brass case. Engraved on each of the step-moulded sides are three arcaded courtyard vistas in perspective - a technique that was an artistic breakthrough at the time. The central arch depicted on each functions as a window to a detailed view with depictions of a tree on one side, a castle on another, then a windmill and a bridge on the other sides. This clock’s arcaded courtyard design appears to have been copied from the work of Hans Vredeman de Vries (b. c1527, d. c1606), a Dutch painter, draughtsman, engineer and architect. De Vries’ designs for colonnades, courtyards and loggias won him considerable fame. He published 72 of these designs in his book Perspective (Leiden) in 1604-5. The book became something of a staple in the libraries of scholars, architects and artists like Dutch painters Sir Peter Paul Rubens (b. 1577, d. 1640) and Johannes Vermeer (b. 1632, d. 1675). De Vries’ painted and drawn designs were based on the principles of central perspective, and he helpfully provided explanatory texts that made the perspective complexities easier to understand. Notably, the British Museum also has two Vallin table clocks featuring perspective engravings on their cases. These are outstanding weight-driven musical carillon clock made in 1598 (Museum Number 1958,1006.2139), which features prominently in the Museum's Horological gallery, and a brass-cased clock attributed to Vallin that was made sometime between 1570 and 1580 (Museum Number 1944,1101.1). Although there is no confirmation that De Vries had a hand in the engravings on either of these clock, it is nice to think that perhaps he and Vallin enjoyed an ongoing professional collaboration. Other decorations include the geometric band with a chain-link pattern engraved above the clock’s arcaded courtyard scenes. The upper top plate of the case also features engraved fan spandrels in the corners. These frame the re-instated bezel, which holds the restored pierced and engraved cupola bell cover that is crowned by the circular dial plate described above. The latched base panel of the clock retains its original gilding and exhibits signs of wear. It has an engraved square border framing several concentric circles. Within the circles is an ornate scroll engraved cartouche, which frames the maker’s signature: VALLEN (note the alternative spelling of Vallin’s name). When the latched base is removed, the movement’s bottom plate is revealed. It also retains much of its original gilding and features the externally mounted and calibrated countwheel with engraved numbers. The top and bottom plates of the movement are held by four baluster pillars. The pillars’ square section bases are secured to the bottom plate. The going train has a chain driven conical fusee to maintain an equal torque from the spring barrel, while the hour-striking and alarm trains are driven from a fixed steel barrel. Like many early clocks, this one has been altered over its lifetime to suit changing fashions and keep it in running order. The bell has recently been reinstated under the dial in keeping with how it originally would have looked. Its verge escapement has also been restored. Clocktime is delighted to also present Vallin's outstanding Astronomical Table Clock, made around 1600, which you can explore here. References Borggrefe, H., T. Fusenig and B. Uppenkamp (eds). 2002. Hans Vredeman de Vries und die Renaissance im Norden. Munich: Hirmer. Dawson, P. G., C. B. Drover and D. W. Parkes. 1994 [1982]. Early English Clocks: a discussion of domestic clocks up to the beginning of the eighteenth century. Woodbridge: The Antique Collectors’ Club, p. 25, pls. 16- 18. Vredeman de Vries, H. 1604-5. Perspective (Dover pictorial archive series). New York: Dover Publication
