Tall case clock

Case by                                                                                   Recent acquisition

Nathan Lumbard

American, 1777–1847

Tall case clock

Massachusetts (Sturbridge or Sutton), about 1800

Cherrywood, mahogany, light and dark inlays, painted clock face, brass, clockworks

Made in the early years of the new republic in a prosperous rural town in central Massachusetts, this eye-catching clock is a tour de force of skilled craftsmanship and an idiosyncratic interpretation of the neoclassical style. To create its inlaid decoration, cabinetmaker Nathan Lumbard carved out individual recesses in the wood, filling those recess with woods of different colors to make patterns and pictures. Rather than buying standard, pre-made inlays, Lumbard made them all on his own—which accounts for the playful, somewhat quirky, but certainly engaging personal expression of this masterpiece. Lumbard here combines an abundance of popular neoclassical motifs, including swirling oval paterae, with alternating light and dark woods; naturalistic leafy garlands arranged in curved swags; and a double-headed eagle grasping a shield. He also incorporates his own distinctive designs, like the sunburst with an incised face and a long-necked eagle, perhaps his version of the new Great Seal of the United States.

Museum purchase with funds donated by Victoria and David Croll, Deborah and William Elfers, Barbara and Amos Hostetter, an anonymous donor, Jean Schinto and Robert Frishman, and from the Frank B. Bemis Fund, Mary S. and Edward J. Holmes Fund, Howard Johnson for American Clocks or Scientific Instruments Fund, Elizabeth M. and John F. Paramino Fund in memory of John F. Paramino, Boston Sculptor, Marshall H. Gould Fund, Edwin E. Jack Fund, Mary E. Moore Gift, Jane Marsland and Judith A. Marsland Fund, Morris and Louise Rosenthal Fund, Helen B. Sweeney Fund, and Seth K. Sweetser Fund, 2018   2018.1