DANIEL DELANDER, LONDON. AN IMPORTANT AND IMPRESSIVE EBONY SPRING DRIVEN CLOCK WITH BEAUTIFULLY ENGRAVED FRETS AND SILVER CHAPTER RING AND SPANDRELS. CIRCA 1715. The imposing ebony case has a brass bound inverted bell top and five substantial brass finials. The case has four brass capped columns to its corners and stands on brass ball feet. The base is brass bound and the screws are surrounded with beautiful flower head engraving. The dominant feature of the case are undoubtedly the exquisite frets which can be found to all sides. These are finely fretted and beautifully engraved with scrolling acanthus leaves and stems, birds, mythical beasts and floral baskets, etc. The quality continues in the brass breakarch dial with a finely matted centre which is signed in a plaque ‘Dan Delander, London.’ Below this is a false pendulum aperture. Interestingly all the chapter rings and spandrels are made of solid silver. The bottom spandrels have a male head design and in the arch can be found Indian mask spandrels. The chapter ring is engraved with Roman numerals, fleur-de-lis style half hour markers and Arabic at the outer five minute marks. It has two small subsidiary dials for fine regulation and strike all/silent quarters/all silent. The date is displayed in the arch and all three dials have blued steel to their centres, a feature which is repeated behind the mock pendulum aperture. It has blued steel hands which are finely cut and the subsidiary hands are of brass. The eight day three train gut fusee movement has reinstated verge escapement with rise and fall regulation and trip repeat. It chimes the quarters on six bells and the hour on a single bell. The backplate is completely smothered with fine engraving. This important clock is of the highest quality and is one of this eminent maker’s finest examples. Height including top finial: 25½" (65 cms.) Daniel Delander Delander was born circa 1678 and was apprenticed to Charles Halstead in April 1692 and later transferred to Thomas Tompion. He gained his Freedom in July 1699 and continued to work for Tompion. Later he set up his own business and was residing in Essex Street. From 1706 to 1712 he had premises at the Dial in Devereux Court and from 1712 to 1717 moved to Two Temple Gates. His final move was across the road to Fleet Street. He took a number of apprentices and his clocks and watches were variously signed Daniel Delander, De Lander, Delaunder at Essex Street, London and Within Temple Bar. He died in 1733 and was succeeded by his son, Nathaniel Delander, who became Master of the Clockmakers’ Company in 1747. Delander was one of the most famous clockmakers at the end of the 17th and the first quarter of the 18th centuries producing many fine, and often highly individual, clocks, watches and barometers. Examples of his work can be found in the major collections and museums such as the year duration longcase with equation of time which was in the Wetherfield Collection. It is also believed he made the earliest known centre seconds stop watch and it is recorded that he invented a ‘spring’ which was an anti-theft device to secure pair cased watches. Further details can be found in:- ‘Thomas Tompion at the Dial and Three Crowns’ by Jeremy Evans, pages 109-110. ‘The Early Clockmakers of Great Britain’ by Brian Loomes. ‘The British Museum, Watches’ by David Thompson, page 68.