Glass Bell Musical Clock, c. 1770
Maker Unknown
Germany
Typical of clocks of this period, this Black Forest musical clock has a wooden movement with verge escapement and "Kuhschwanz" or "cow's tail" pendulum. The thirty-hour movement strikes the quarter-hour and hour. Six melodies are each played through twice, when manually selected, on nine original glass bells. The carved and painted wooden dial features an armorial crest with crown. Two standing lions flank the chapter ring. Gold and silver leaf accents the red and blue paint.
Mechanism diagram:
a. Pinned barrel b. Weight c. Peg d. Lever e. Setting lever f. Hammer g. Bell |
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From Die Schwartzwalderuhr, by Herbert Jüttemann, Badenia Verlag, Karlsruhe, Germany, 1990, page 134. | |
As energy is applied, the pinned barrel rotates. The pins, each equivalent to a musical note, engage pegs on the ends of each of the nine levers. As the peg slides over a pin, the lever is raised, pulling on a setting lever lifting a hammer. Upon release, the hammer strikes a glass bell.
Donated by NAWCC Orange County Chapter #69