Banjo clock
Encyclopedia
The banjo clock, or banjo timepiece, is an American
wall
clock
with a banjo
-shaped case. It was invented by Simon Willard
, originally of Grafton, Massachusetts
, later of Roxbury, Massachusetts
, and patented in 1802. The banjo clock normally lacks a striking mechanism
and indicates time only by its hands and dial, for which reason some horologists may insist upon calling it a timepiece
rather than a true clock. In popular usage though, no such distinction is made.
The banjo style of wooden case usually features a round opening for a painted dial
, a long-waisted throat, and a rectangular pendulum
box with hinged door. Both the throat and door are ornamented with reverse-painted (verre églomisé
) glass panels, and the case is usually flanked by curved and pierced brass
frets. A finial
mounted atop the case usually takes the form of a cast-brass eagle
or a turned, giltwood
acorn
.
Only 4,000 authentic Simon Willard banjo clocks were made. The style was widely copied by other members of the Willard family of clockmakers and many others clockmakers, both craftsmen and industrial manufacturers. Variants of the banjo-style clock made by others include examples with square or diamond-shaped dials, and the extremely opulent, heavily gilt "girandole" style.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
wall
Wall
A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
clock
Clock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
with a banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
-shaped case. It was invented by Simon Willard
Simon Willard
Simon Willard were produced in Massachusetts in the Grafton and Roxbury workshops of Simon Willard , a celebrated U.S. clockmaker...
, originally of Grafton, Massachusetts
Grafton, Massachusetts
Grafton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,765 at the 2010 census. Grafton is the home of a Nipmuc village known as Hassanamisco Reservation, the Willard House and Clock Museum, and the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine...
, later of Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
, and patented in 1802. The banjo clock normally lacks a striking mechanism
Striking clock
A striking clock is a clock that sounds the hours audibly on a bell or gong. In 12 hour striking, used most commonly in striking clocks today, the clock strikes once at 1 AM, twice at 2 AM, continuing in this way up to twelve times at 12 noon, then starts over, striking once at 1 PM, twice at 2...
and indicates time only by its hands and dial, for which reason some horologists may insist upon calling it a timepiece
Clock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
rather than a true clock. In popular usage though, no such distinction is made.
The banjo style of wooden case usually features a round opening for a painted dial
Clock face
A clock face is the part of an analog clock that displays the time through the use of a fixed numbered dial or dials and moving hands. In its most basic form, recognized universally throughout the world, the dial is numbered 1–12 indicating the hours in a 12-hour cycle, and a short hour hand...
, a long-waisted throat, and a rectangular pendulum
Pendulum
A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced from its resting equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position...
box with hinged door. Both the throat and door are ornamented with reverse-painted (verre églomisé
Verre églomisé
Verre églomisé, from the French term meaning glass gilded, is a process in which the back side of glass is gilded with gold or metal leaf.In one method, the metal is adhered using a gelatin adhesive, which results in a mirror-like, reflective finish in which designs are then engraved. The metal...
) glass panels, and the case is usually flanked by curved and pierced brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
frets. A finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
mounted atop the case usually takes the form of a cast-brass eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
or a turned, giltwood
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
.
Only 4,000 authentic Simon Willard banjo clocks were made. The style was widely copied by other members of the Willard family of clockmakers and many others clockmakers, both craftsmen and industrial manufacturers. Variants of the banjo-style clock made by others include examples with square or diamond-shaped dials, and the extremely opulent, heavily gilt "girandole" style.
External links
- Willard house Museum, located in Grafton, Mass., the original homestead of Simon Willard, home to the largest collection of Simon Willard clocks and his patented timepieces.