155-C-0305

ANSONIA "TRILBY" BRONZE FIGURE CLOCK
INDEX # : 155-C-0305

circa: 1898-1906

CLOCK STYLE Mantel

CLOCK NAME Trilby

MANUFACTURE

Ansonia Clock Co, Ansonia, New York

Anson Phelps (1781-1853)

CASE MODEL # N/A

MOVEMENT TYPE Brass, 8 day patent regulator movement with hour & half-hour strike on cathedral gong

CASE SIZE & CONSTRUCTION Base=14", Height=11", Depth=4"
White metal (Spelter) case with Japanese bronze finish

LABEL INFORMATION These clocks did not come with paper labels, dial and movement are both marked Ansonia.

DIAL INFORMATION

Original porcelain dial is 4 1/2" with no cracks or chips, black Arabic letters. Dial has Ansonia trademark and has "Made by the Ansonia Clock Co." on the bottom.

MISC. FEATURES

Figure is of a Victorian era woman sitting with books propped up against the chair. The case was available with a Japanese Bronze finish.

The top image is the statue before restoration

The bottom image is the statue after the clock was refinished.

ACQUIRED FROM Online auction

CONDITION WHEN ACQUIRED
Case in fair condition, most of the original finish is gone, missing a small part of the scroll decoration on the very top of the case. I will try and re-create the missing piece, then refinish the case.

RESTORATION
05/08 - The finish on the clock was pretty bad, so we decided to refinish it and also repair the broken scroll decoration on the top. The case was stripped, and an antique bronze finish was created using a light green base coat, then covered the entire clock with Van Dyke Brown oil paint. The oil paint was then rubbed off to allow some of the light green would show through. The scroll top was recreated using plumber's putty and carving and sanding to match what originally was there.

KL redid the finish on this clock when she took the statue repair course held by Chapter 124 in May 2008. She did a great job for her first time!

I also took this opportunity to clean, oil, and adjust the movement, then set clock to running.

HISTORICAL DATA

The Ansonia Clock Co. was founded by Anson G. Phelps as a subsidiary of the Ansonia Brass Co. in Ansonia, Conn. (town named after him). In operation from 1851-1878 in Ansonia, Conn. (Ansonia Clock Company became a separate entity from Ansonia Brass Co. in 1859). After a series of fires, he moved the company to NYC and operated from 1879-1930. Company disbanded in 1930, all machinery was sold to Russia.
This clock sold for $20.00 in a 1898 S.F. Meyers retail catalog, by 1901 the price had dropped to $18.00.

Images to the left:
Top: The Ansonia Clock Factory in Ansonia, Conn. as it appeared in 1850 (this factory was destroyed by fire in 1854).
Bottom: The Ansonia Clock Company factory in Brooklyn, New York c. 1881.

REFERENCES 1. Ansonia Clock Co. 1901 Catalog
2. "Clock Identification and Price Guide - Book 1", Roy Ehrhardt, 1994, page 156.

NOTES N/A

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CLOCK STYLE	Mantel
CLOCK NAME	Trilby
MANUFACTURE	Ansonia Clock Co, Ansonia, New York Anson Phelps (1781-1853)
CASE MODEL #	N/A
MOVEMENT TYPE	Brass, 8 day patent regulator movement with hour & half-hour strike on cathedral gong
CASE SIZE & CONSTRUCTION	Base=14", Height=11", Depth=4" White metal (Spelter) case with Japanese bronze finish
LABEL INFORMATION	These clocks did not come with paper labels, dial and movement are both marked Ansonia.
DIAL INFORMATION	Original porcelain dial is 4 1/2" with no cracks or chips, black Arabic letters. Dial has Ansonia trademark and has "Made by the Ansonia Clock Co." on the bottom.
MISC. FEATURES	Figure is of a Victorian era woman sitting with books propped up against the chair. The case was available with a Japanese Bronze finish. The top image is the statue before restoration The bottom image is the statue after the clock was refinished.
ACQUIRED FROM	Online auction
CONDITION WHEN ACQUIRED	Case in fair condition, most of the original finish is gone, missing a small part of the scroll decoration on the very top of the case. I will try and re-create the missing piece, then refinish the case.
RESTORATION	05/08 - The finish on the clock was pretty bad, so we decided to refinish it and also repair the broken scroll decoration on the top. The case was stripped, and an antique bronze finish was created using a light green base coat, then covered the entire clock with Van Dyke Brown oil paint. The oil paint was then rubbed off to allow some of the light green would show through. The scroll top was recreated using plumber's putty and carving and sanding to match what originally was there. KL redid the finish on this clock when she took the statue repair course held by Chapter 124 in May 2008. She did a great job for her first time! I also took this opportunity to clean, oil, and adjust the movement, then set clock to running.
HISTORICAL DATA	The Ansonia Clock Co. was founded by Anson G. Phelps as a subsidiary of the Ansonia Brass Co. in Ansonia, Conn. (town named after him). In operation from 1851-1878 in Ansonia, Conn. (Ansonia Clock Company became a separate entity from Ansonia Brass Co. in 1859). After a series of fires, he moved the company to NYC and operated from 1879-1930. Company disbanded in 1930, all machinery was sold to Russia. This clock sold for $20.00 in a 1898 S.F. Meyers retail catalog, by 1901 the price had dropped to $18.00. Images to the left: Top: The Ansonia Clock Factory in Ansonia, Conn. as it appeared in 1850 (this factory was destroyed by fire in 1854). Bottom: The Ansonia Clock Company factory in Brooklyn, New York c. 1881.
REFERENCES	1. Ansonia Clock Co. 1901 Catalog 2. "Clock Identification and Price Guide - Book 1", Roy Ehrhardt, 1994, page 156.
NOTES	N/A