Lantern clock
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Lantern clock is a type of weight-driven wall clock, shaped like a lantern. It was introduced in Britain around 1620.
Lantern clock were made almost completely in brass, whereas most earlier clocks had been constructed from iron and wood. Typical lantern clocks comprised a square case on ball or urn feet, a large circular dial (with a chapter ring extending beyond the width of the case on early examples), a single hour hand, and a large bell and finial. The clocks usually had ornate pierced fretwork on top of the frame.
Lantern clocks were originally weight driven, usually one weight for the time keeping and a second for striking. A few modern lantern-style clocks were constructed with spring mechanisms and many surviving examples of the original weight-driven type have been converted to spring or pendulum mechanisms.
The clock shape resembles a lantern, but the name may be derived from the French "laiton", meaning "brass". They were sometimes also known as bird-cage or chamber clocks.
[edit] References
- Hana, W.F. English Lantern Clocks
- White, George English Lantern Clocks
- Darken, Jeff & Hooper, John English 30 Hour Clocks Penita Books (1997) ISBN 0953074501
