Lewis Walduck
Cataloguer
Lot 98
A German weight driven iron and painted wall clock with alarm in the manner of Erhard Liechti of Winterthur Bearing the punched date 1589 and the initials E*L on the frame, and each weight initialled and decorated.
2 July 2025, 13:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£4,000 - £6,000
Looking for a similar item?
Our Clocks specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
A German weight driven iron and painted wall clock with alarm in the manner of Erhard Liechti of Winterthur
Bearing the punched date 1589 and the initials E*L on the frame, and each weight initialled and decorated.
The frame consisting of four worked rectangular-section stepped uprights to a separate open cupola with painted sections framing the deep bell secured via a lug pinned from above, struck by a fancy curved steel hammer. The movement with all wheels and pinions of iron, the going train of three wheels terminating in an upright verge crown wheel and an un-sprung balance suspended on silk. The strike train with outside countwheel with internal teeth driven by an 8-leaf pinion, striking the hours and halves with separate hammers. The dial with painted iron plate 10.25 inches by 5.25 inches depicting a pediment over a pair of columns with tiled floor below, the Roman chapter ring with single gilt hand (the tip in the form of a pointing human hand) enclosing the alarm-setting dial with pins for the alarm. The time set by pushing a lever on the left hand side to dis-engage the balance arbor. Ticking and striking. Sold together with the original signed and decorated weights, ropes and a sturdy bespoke oak wall bracket. 40cms (15.75ins) high.
The frame consisting of four worked rectangular-section stepped uprights to a separate open cupola with painted sections framing the deep bell secured via a lug pinned from above, struck by a fancy curved steel hammer. The movement with all wheels and pinions of iron, the going train of three wheels terminating in an upright verge crown wheel and an un-sprung balance suspended on silk. The strike train with outside countwheel with internal teeth driven by an 8-leaf pinion, striking the hours and halves with separate hammers. The dial with painted iron plate 10.25 inches by 5.25 inches depicting a pediment over a pair of columns with tiled floor below, the Roman chapter ring with single gilt hand (the tip in the form of a pointing human hand) enclosing the alarm-setting dial with pins for the alarm. The time set by pushing a lever on the left hand side to dis-engage the balance arbor. Ticking and striking. Sold together with the original signed and decorated weights, ropes and a sturdy bespoke oak wall bracket. 40cms (15.75ins) high.
Footnotes
Erhard Liechti (c.1530–1591), son of Laurentius I Liechti, was a prominent Winterthur clockmaker known for his elaborately constructed Zimmeruhren (domestic iron clocks), which featured open-frame iron movements with foliot balances, verge escapements, and decorative painted dials. His workshop produced timepieces primarily for wealthy patrons and monastic institutions, with around 50 surviving examples dated between 1557 and 1591. The distinctive pillar-form construction, wedge-joined iron frames, and bell-topped design became a hallmark of his workshop. Several of his works are preserved in major European horological collections. Based on stylistic comparison, this lot is most likely a 19th-century reproduction in homage to Liechti's Renaissance designs.
Additional information
Bid now on these items
