Welcome to our blog of art appreciation. I’m a lover of fine art, mostly antiques. This blog will focus mostly on antique mantel clocks and similar pieces. The greatest thing about antiques is the beauty the bring to their surroundings. They are ao delicate and detailed that you could gaze at them for hours. Since they are so interesting to look at and not talk or write about I will try to make this blog as visual as possible by posting videos of other peoples antique carriage clocks and skeleton clocks. Clocks are so interesting in that the not just the cases are beautiful but also the clockworks or clock movements. This obvious isn’t true of quartz clocks. But mechanical mantle clocks have very intelligently designed and beautiful gears that can be shown off if the clock designer is good. Companies like David Peterson make a great carriage clock that demonstrates this idea.

No antique clock site can fail to mention anniversary clocks. These traditional old style mechanical clocks only had to be wound once a year and made great gifts. What an idea that still rings true today. They tend to showoff the clockworks too which is high on my favorites list.

I’m not a big fan of longcase grandfather clocks but I’ll post some videos about them occasionally as there are some rare gems that people have and I enjoy looking them.

Don’t forget to add your you tube video links here and I will comment on them. So polish up your arsenal and lets compare antiques. Post your own atwork, digital or pain of anything clock or antique related as well.

It was a very wintry morning in the upper Midwest. The night before it had snowed about 8 inches of the white powdery stuff. It’s 6:00AM and I’m out in my driveway shoveling the snow to clear the way for my car.

It took me about 2 hours to complete the snow removal job around the outside of my home. And like always, I shovel off the snow around my retired neighbor’s house. Agnes is 78 years old and she just doesn’t have the strength to handle the snow removal anymore. She always invited me in (after I shovel around her house) for a cup of hot coco.

Well this day was no different than the past. When I finished shoveling around Agnes’s house, she stuck her head out the front door and invited me in. You know, hot coco always tastes best after a good workout in the winter snow.

During my visit with Agnes, she said that she had a wall clock in her living room that stopped running. She said that the batteries must have gone dead. So we both went into the living room and sure enough, the large wall clock in the living room was not running. I proceeded to remove the clock from the wall and changed the batteries with batteries Agnes had already bought. She was so pleased that the clock on her living room wall is now running again.

Next thing you know, my cell phone is ringing. It’s my mother. She said that she had a dentist appointment and that when she went to start her car, the car would not start. I told her I would come over to her house and give her a ride to the dentist. When I got over to my mother’s house, we had no time to spare, so we got in my car and drove off to her dentist appointment.

It was on the way to the dentist, my mother mentioned that the clock in her kitchen was not working. I told my mother that when we got back to her house, I would check to see if the batteries are dead and replace them if they are dead. When I mentioned batteries, my mother said that it would also be a good idea to pick up some new batteries at the hardware store on the way home from the dentist. She also said it would be a good idea to change the batteries in all her smoke and gas detectors. I said that I would do all the battery changing when we get back to her house. This put a smile on her face.

By the time I got home it was 4:00PM. I took my shoes off, put on my comfy slippers, put on the late afternoon news on my TV and sat down in my recliner to watch the news.

This is when it all started. I must have fallen asleep immediately. The adventure I went through in my dream had everything to do with what went on earlier in the day.

My dream started out with me shoveling snow in front of a retail store. I was on the sidewalk in front of the store clearing away the snow. The good part is that I was almost finished clearing the snow from in front of the store. This storefront sidewalk had to be as long as big city block. I’m feeling beat, as though I was shoveling snow for several hours in front of the store. A good feeling has come over me, knowing that my snow shoveling job has finally come to an end.

As I’m standing outside in front of the store, I look up to the front outside wall of the store and a big lighted sign reads “WALL CLOCKS MAMMOTH MART.” I’m thinking to myself, “Where am I?”

My curiosity overwhelming me, I decide to go into the store and have a look. Well let me tell you that this is the largest store I have ever seen. It would probably take 5 to 10 minutes to walk from the front of this store to the back. This is how large this store is.

The second thing I notice, after the store size, are wall clocks. Walking down the main isle, I’m thinking that there must be every type of wall clock in the universe on display here. This is amazing!

There was a display for every type of wall clock imaginable. These displays seemed to be set up in random order. As I slowly walked from the front of the store to the back I saw wall clock styles such as Country, Children’s, Novelty, Antiqued, Kitchen, Cuckoo, Modern/Contemporary, Rustic/Lodge, Retro, Traditional, Whimsical, Old World, Sports/Collegiate, Neon and the list went on and on and on…

On display along with the style of each wall clock was a sample of the different types of finishes these wall clocks came in such as Brass, Wrought Iron, Medium Wood, Dark Wood, Light Wood, Black, White, Silver/Chrome, Multi-Colored, Rattan/Wood, Blues, Bronze, Greens, Brass-Antique/Satin, Pewter, Stainless Steel and this list of finishes also went on and on and on…

As if this wasn’t enough information for each wall clock display to provide, each display also provided samples of available features some of these wall clocks offered, such as Day Clock, Musical, Atomic Clock, World Clock, Single Chime Clock, Dual Chime Clock, Triple Chime Clock, Gallery Clock, Weather Clock, Neon Clock, Picture Frame Clock and With Pendulum. Like I said about style and finish, this list also went on and on and on…

There were themed wall clocks such as Animal, Educational, Floral, Food and Drink, Holiday, Retro, Scenic, Sports/Cars and Tropical/Nautical. There were clock types such as Indoor Clock, Outdoor Clock and Indoor/Outdoor Clock. There were clock number types such as Roman Numerals, Arabic/Standard and No Numbers. There were samples of display types such as Analog and Digital, not to mention sample of shapes such as Rectangular, Round, Square and Novelty Shapes.

I’m telling you, these wall clocks come in sizes from small to as large as 7 feet in diameter, for those who are interested in a wall clock in the size of their choosing.

By the time I reached the back of the store I was well educated in Wall Clocks. I was amazed at what was available to choose from when it came to these wall hanging time pieces. I thought to myself that not only do these wall clocks supply me with the time of day, along with other optional features, these wall clocks provide an artful and elegant touch to the room in which they hang.

And then all of a sudden as if it was the top of the hour all the chiming, musical, cuckoo, bell and electronic clocks rang out in one tremendous alarm. This woke me up as I jumped from my recliner. I realized I was only dreaming about this humongous wall clock store. I thought to myself what a wonderfully strange dream.

My afterthoughts of my dream were me thinking, “Is there really a store of that size dedicated to wall clocks?” After pondering over that thought for a few minutes, I came to the conclusion that the only place you could find the variety and selection of the wall clocks in my dream, would be to shop online.

If a new wall clock is in your future, don’t just dream about it, go online and see all the endless options awaiting you.

Barbara Tobiasz
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/wall-clock-only-in-your-dreams-690279.html

Looking for the perfect gift for an occasion?  Need something outstanding for an anniversary or for a wedding, a retirement gift, or for a special birthday?   A clock will make a lasting impression and is the perfect choice for just about any situation.  

Everyone knows that we are a time driven society.  We always have to be somewhere.  We are in a rush to make a train, plane or bus or we have to meet or pick someone up at a certain time.  The wristwatch just doesn’t cut it anymore – you need a clock in every room.  And what a great gift a clock makes.  They are available in just about any price range.  They come in wood, brass, glass, crystal, marble, silver or goldtone.  They can be personalized or engraved to make a lasting impression.  They can be hung on a wall or placed on a table or shelf.  They go in your office, library, kitchen, den or dining room.  They can even be found in a bathroom.  Clocks can be purchased in every type of decor or color to match or contrast with the area they will be placed.   They are available in electric   or battery operated models.  There are also travel versions.  Many have an alarm, some play music or chimes.

There are wall clocks and mantel clocks that play a different sound or tune on the hour. Westminster chimes is a popular sound for the mantel clocks.  How can anyone forget the wall clock that had a different bird sound every hour.  Many of these clocks have an automatic shut off that keeps them from making noise when the room is dark and everyone is presumably asleep.  There are also Lucite desk clocks that change color with every minute.  The time changes from red to purple to green to blue and you have to love it.  And who could forget those coo-coo clocks that were popular years ago?

Some people prefer analog while others may prefer the digital version.  Many of the digital versions will also give the day and/or date. They can also give the room temperature, the phases of the moon, or an estimate of the expected weather.  Analog clocks can have roman numerals, or regular numbers. The very popular Movado clocks have just a dot for the twelve.   Some clocks will also  have room for a photo. Many other clocks are combined with a pen or note paper to make them a desk accessory.  

There are also clocks that give the time around the world.  These are especially useful to anyone that conducts business in different countries, or anyone that has family traveling or living abroad.  It’s easier to know the time when you can see it in front of you, instead of having to count all those hours ahead or behind.  World clocks are available in analog or digital versions.  These clocks make especially nice corporate gifts and are often shown with a company logo or other personalization.

Movado, Bulova, Seiko, and Seth Thomas are some of the better-known brand names.  Howard Miller also makes those furniture clocks that are popular once again. These names represent fine quality clocks that anyone would be proud to give or receive.   The next time there’s an occasion and you can’t figure out what to purchase, remembers that  it’s always the right time to give a clock as a gift.

Mason Hinton
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/its-always-time-for-a-clock-1296026.html

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Technorati Tags: CHIME, chiming, clock, clocks, mantel, mantle, Musical, Rhythm, Small, sonata, WESTMINSTER, World

~ French – Circa 1875 ~

~~ Excellent condition ~~

A very finely detailed gilt brass clock in excellent condition, much of the original gilding remains which is in lovely bright and clean condition. The style is Baroque and features a fretted front, allowing the pendulum to be seen swinging within the case. Above the dial is a broken arch pediment with a lions mask. An urn with serpent handles surmounts the case. Candelabra are confirming in style and have four boldly scrolled arms. The clock is beautifully detailed and well finished.

The dial is enamel on copper with a cast brass centre and is complete with original blued steel hands.

The French movement has the Japy Freres ‘Grande Medaille D’Honneur’ mark on the movement backplate. It is of excellent quality and is in lovely clean and running condition having been fully serviced by our clockmaker. Pendulum has been replaced. It runs for 8 days and strikes the hours and halves on a bell. Click the video clip below to hear the bell and watch the clock running!

Condition of the case is excellent with clean and bright finish to the gilding and there are no losses. There is some very minor wear to the original gilding on the high spots. The dial is also in very good condition with just some light hair lining near the two o’clock. Candelabra arms are slightly distorted.

Complete with pendulum, bell and a suitable key. Full setting up instructions supplied if required.

Dimensions of clock:
inches Height 21 1/2″, Width 12″, Depth 6 1/4″
centimetres Height 54.5 cm, Width 30.5 cm, Depth 16 cm
Dimensions of candelabra:
inches Height 19 1/2″, Width 9″, Depth 8 3/4″
centimetres Height 45 cm, Width 23 cm, Depth 22.5 cm

International Shipping is no problem – fully insured

UK postage by courier will be £20

International shipping to USA and Europe will be £85 by Air with insurance.

Rest of the world including Australia and Far East will be £125

We use a premium courier such as UPS, DHL etc or a dedicated/specialist antiques courier.
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Technorati Tags: Antique, brass, clock, French, freres, gilt, japy, set

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This project was conceived in 2003 and will be completed in 2011 or 2012. We are not trying to make the most complicated clock, there are many in the last 200 years that beat this project by a wide margin, but we hope to make a mark in the area of fascination in terms of movement. Also the quality of fabrication will be next to none. You can follow the project on my web site: www.my-time-machines.net. or email me at: mfrank1@rcn.com

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Technorati Tags: 09-14-09, as, Astronomical, clock, of, progress, Skeleton

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Technorati Tags: alarm, brass, carriage, clock, clocks, French

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Technorati Tags: 400, anniversary, clock, day, kundo