126-C-0899

C. & L.C. IVES TRIPLE DECKER CLOCK & WRITING DESK SET
INDEX # : 126-C-0899

circa: 1831-1832

CLOCK STYLE Triple Decker Shelf Clock with Writing Desk and Chest of Drawers

CLOCK NAME N/A

MANUFACTURE

C. & L.C. Ives, Bristol, Conn.

Chauncey Ives (1787-1857), image to left
Lawson C. Ives (1805-1867)

CASE MODEL # N/A

MOVEMENT TYPE

Joseph Ives patented roller pinion strap brass 8 day T&S. Hour strike on cast bell.

This movement was produced in 1831-1832, after this date the firm changed the design of the 'T' shaped strike control wire piece, and used a downward angular piece. Also, the sides of the frame of the re-designed movement were made from one piece of strap brass.

CASE SIZE & CONSTRUCTION

Overall Unit:
Base =35 1/2 ", Height =84 1/2", Depth =20"
Clock:
Base = 18", Height = 44", Depth =7 1/2"
Writing Desk:
Base = 35 1/2", Height = 29", Depth =20"
Chest of Drawers:
Base = 23 3/4", Height = 11 1/2", Depth =8 1/2"

The clock is made from solid walnut, no veneer's are used. It would have been a very expensive clock to build (and purchase) back in the 1830's. The writing desk and chest of drawers are made from solid walnut, oak, yellow pine, and tiger maple. No veneers are used on the desk or chest of drawers. The top of the writing desk folds out to provide an area for writing. The drawers are made with dovetail joints, and the doors are made with mortise and tenon joints. The entire piece has a German feel to it, and was possibly made by a German cabinet maker. The desk and chest of drawers were made around the clock as evident by the construction and finish.

The image in the bottom glass of the clock is a painting of two Scottie dogs that was found on the inside of the clock. It, along with an old German paper was used as a backing for the original reverse painted glass that is missing.

LABEL INFORMATION

Excellent label, stating:

"Patent Brass / Eight Day / Clocks / Made and Sold by / C. & L.C. Ives / Bristol, Conn. / Warranted if well used"

Printer was "P. Canfield, Printer, Hartford"

Philemon Canfield (1786-1864) moved to Hartford, Ct. in 1814. He was already an established printer at this point in his career, and his services were used by many of the early wooden movement clock making firms in Connecticut. He sold his printing/publishing business in 1839 to Case, Tiffany & Burnham. (image to left)

DIAL INFORMATION

Original 13" x 11 1/2" wood dial, white painted background with black Arabic numerals. Gold leaf spandrels and chapter rings. Has a hand written repair note written in pencil on back of dial from 1859. Dial glass is an early replacement (glass has waves and bubbles), and is held in place by putty.

Terry type minute and hour hands.

MISC. FEATURES

Original early reverse painted glass (13 1/2" x 7 1/2") in middle section, some paint loss. This painting was done by an accomplished glass painter, demonstrated by the attention to detail and quality of the work. The border is stenciled with four different colors of bronzing powders. It would not have been a mass produced glass, as was used in later shelf clocks. The second image is the replacement reverse glass for the bottom door that KL did for this clock. It is an accurate reproduction of a glass that would have originally been in a C. & CL. Ives clock of this type. This reverse glass painting won an Honorable Mention at the 2001 NAWCC National Horological Crafts contest in New Orleans, LA..

Lower glass (11" x 6") is clear glass, and will need to be restored. Both glasses are old as evident by waves and bubbles.

Clock case seems to have a 'clock' motif, as is evident by the wooden movement gear in the center of the arch on top of the clock case, as well as gear teeth designs on the sides of the case.

ACQUIRED FROM Online auction, seller from Illinois.

CONDITION WHEN ACQUIRED Clock in good running order, both the writing desk and chest of drawers in good condition. Both doors on the clock have had the locks removed, and 1/8" thick strips of tiger maple applied around the frames. It appears this was done so the doors would match the tiger maple on the drawers and writing desk.

RESTORATION July 2001 - KL created a new reverse glass painting, utilizing the original old glass) for the lower tablet. The pattern was from an original C & LC Ives Triple Decker. This tablet was given an honorable mention in the 2001 NAWCC Crafts Competition in the Reverse Glass category.

HISTORICAL DATA Chauncey Ives (brother of Joseph) partnered with his nephew, Lawson Ives in 1830 to form the C. & L.C. Ives firm. John Birge was a silent partner in this firm, and Elias Ingraham was contracted to design and build their clock cases. Chauncey Ives was the clockmaker, and Lawson Ives was the business manager for the company. They were most noted for their Triple Decker shelf clocks. The early clocks produced by this firm used Joseph Ives patented roller pinion brass 8 day movement (movement used in this clock). In 1832 the movement was redesigned, making dating of clocks with the early movement possible.

REFERENCES 1. "The Contribution of Joseph Ives to Connecticut Clock Technology 1810-1862" by Kenneth Roberts, 1988
2. "A Typographical Galaxy" by M.C. Casey, 1896.

NOTES I believe this clock was a special order item from C. & L.C. Ives, due to the solid wood construction. It is unknown whether Elias Ingraham built the case, but it would seem possible. I feel that it may have been made for someone in the clock making profession, due to the 'clock' motif and accessories that are on it. It's probable the writing desk and chest of drawers were made after the clock, but were built for it as evident by the construction and finish. This unusual piece may remain a mystery since we can find no information on this type of clock and chest combination, nor have we seen another one like it (to date!).

We met the owner of this clock in Joplin, Mo. early on a Saturday morning. We drove there from Texas the night before, and the owner drove there from Illinois. Seems the longer we are involved with this hobby (obsession), the means of acquiring items keeps getting more and more interesting.

November 2000 - The more I study the construction of this clock, the more I believe someone actually took a C&LC Ives Triple Decker, and for what ever reason, removed the backboard, dial, glasses, and movement, and built this case to house the original parts. I still believe that this was done during the 19th century due to it's construction, but I will need to have someone with more woodworking knowledge to assist in dating the case and desk. I have almost ruled out that the case was original to the movement, or that it actually left the C&LC Ives factory in this style. The mystery (and study) continues.....

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CLOCK STYLE	Triple Decker Shelf Clock with Writing Desk and Chest of Drawers
CLOCK NAME	N/A
MANUFACTURE	C. & L.C. Ives, Bristol, Conn. Chauncey Ives (1787-1857), image to left Lawson C. Ives (1805-1867)
CASE MODEL #	N/A
MOVEMENT TYPE	Joseph Ives patented roller pinion strap brass 8 day T&S. Hour strike on cast bell. This movement was produced in 1831-1832, after this date the firm changed the design of the 'T' shaped strike control wire piece, and used a downward angular piece. Also, the sides of the frame of the re-designed movement were made from one piece of strap brass.
CASE SIZE & CONSTRUCTION	Overall Unit: Base =35 1/2 ", Height =84 1/2", Depth =20" Clock: Base = 18", Height = 44", Depth =7 1/2" Writing Desk: Base = 35 1/2", Height = 29", Depth =20" Chest of Drawers: Base = 23 3/4", Height = 11 1/2", Depth =8 1/2" The clock is made from solid walnut, no veneer's are used. It would have been a very expensive clock to build (and purchase) back in the 1830's. The writing desk and chest of drawers are made from solid walnut, oak, yellow pine, and tiger maple. No veneers are used on the desk or chest of drawers. The top of the writing desk folds out to provide an area for writing. The drawers are made with dovetail joints, and the doors are made with mortise and tenon joints. The entire piece has a German feel to it, and was possibly made by a German cabinet maker. The desk and chest of drawers were made around the clock as evident by the construction and finish. The image in the bottom glass of the clock is a painting of two Scottie dogs that was found on the inside of the clock. It, along with an old German paper was used as a backing for the original reverse painted glass that is missing.
LABEL INFORMATION	Excellent label, stating: "Patent Brass / Eight Day / Clocks / Made and Sold by / C. & L.C. Ives / Bristol, Conn. / Warranted if well used" Printer was "P. Canfield, Printer, Hartford" Philemon Canfield (1786-1864) moved to Hartford, Ct. in 1814. He was already an established printer at this point in his career, and his services were used by many of the early wooden movement clock making firms in Connecticut. He sold his printing/publishing business in 1839 to Case, Tiffany & Burnham. (image to left)
DIAL INFORMATION	Original 13" x 11 1/2" wood dial, white painted background with black Arabic numerals. Gold leaf spandrels and chapter rings. Has a hand written repair note written in pencil on back of dial from 1859. Dial glass is an early replacement (glass has waves and bubbles), and is held in place by putty. Terry type minute and hour hands.
MISC. FEATURES	Original early reverse painted glass (13 1/2" x 7 1/2") in middle section, some paint loss. This painting was done by an accomplished glass painter, demonstrated by the attention to detail and quality of the work. The border is stenciled with four different colors of bronzing powders. It would not have been a mass produced glass, as was used in later shelf clocks. The second image is the replacement reverse glass for the bottom door that KL did for this clock. It is an accurate reproduction of a glass that would have originally been in a C. & CL. Ives clock of this type. This reverse glass painting won an Honorable Mention at the 2001 NAWCC National Horological Crafts contest in New Orleans, LA.. Lower glass (11" x 6") is clear glass, and will need to be restored. Both glasses are old as evident by waves and bubbles. Clock case seems to have a 'clock' motif, as is evident by the wooden movement gear in the center of the arch on top of the clock case, as well as gear teeth designs on the sides of the case.
ACQUIRED FROM	Online auction, seller from Illinois.
CONDITION WHEN ACQUIRED	Clock in good running order, both the writing desk and chest of drawers in good condition. Both doors on the clock have had the locks removed, and 1/8" thick strips of tiger maple applied around the frames. It appears this was done so the doors would match the tiger maple on the drawers and writing desk.
RESTORATION	July 2001 - KL created a new reverse glass painting, utilizing the original old glass) for the lower tablet. The pattern was from an original C & LC Ives Triple Decker. This tablet was given an honorable mention in the 2001 NAWCC Crafts Competition in the Reverse Glass category.
HISTORICAL DATA	Chauncey Ives (brother of Joseph) partnered with his nephew, Lawson Ives in 1830 to form the C. & L.C. Ives firm. John Birge was a silent partner in this firm, and Elias Ingraham was contracted to design and build their clock cases. Chauncey Ives was the clockmaker, and Lawson Ives was the business manager for the company. They were most noted for their Triple Decker shelf clocks. The early clocks produced by this firm used Joseph Ives patented roller pinion brass 8 day movement (movement used in this clock). In 1832 the movement was redesigned, making dating of clocks with the early movement possible.
REFERENCES	1. "The Contribution of Joseph Ives to Connecticut Clock Technology 1810-1862" by Kenneth Roberts, 1988 2. "A Typographical Galaxy" by M.C. Casey, 1896.
NOTES	I believe this clock was a special order item from C. & L.C. Ives, due to the solid wood construction. It is unknown whether Elias Ingraham built the case, but it would seem possible. I feel that it may have been made for someone in the clock making profession, due to the 'clock' motif and accessories that are on it. It's probable the writing desk and chest of drawers were made after the clock, but were built for it as evident by the construction and finish. This unusual piece may remain a mystery since we can find no information on this type of clock and chest combination, nor have we seen another one like it (to date!). We met the owner of this clock in Joplin, Mo. early on a Saturday morning. We drove there from Texas the night before, and the owner drove there from Illinois. Seems the longer we are involved with this hobby (obsession), the means of acquiring items keeps getting more and more interesting. November 2000 - The more I study the construction of this clock, the more I believe someone actually took a C&LC Ives Triple Decker, and for what ever reason, removed the backboard, dial, glasses, and movement, and built this case to house the original parts. I still believe that this was done during the 19th century due to it's construction, but I will need to have someone with more woodworking knowledge to assist in dating the case and desk. I have almost ruled out that the case was original to the movement, or that it actually left the C&LC Ives factory in this style. The mystery (and study) continues.....