A very fine and rare Federal figured mahogany bracket clock, the dial inscribed by William Thompson, Baltimore, Maryland circa 1790

The case and works imported from England.

Samuel T. Freeman & Co., Rare Early American Furniture of the XVIII Century, October 19, 1953, lot 28

The Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland Queen Anne and Chippendale Furniture of the Eighteenth Century, March 5 to April 14, 1968

The Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland Queen Anne and Chippendale Furniture of the Eighteenth Century, Baltimore, 1968, no. 70, p. 102

Minor chip to proper left side of door 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch; various cracks and buckling to veneer throughout
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This bracket clock houses a movement engraved by William Thompson, a clockmaker recorded working in Baltimore in 1799 (Wallace Nutting, The Clock Book, New York, 1924, p. 234). In 1762, a clockmaker by the same name advertised his relocation in the Maryland Gazette from Port Tobacco in Charles County to Upper Marlboro in Prince Georges County (Brooks Palmer, The Book of American Clocks, New York, 1974, p. 295).  This same clockmaker later moved to Baltimore County and was perhaps the father of the maker of this clock, who engraved his name and Baltimore on the brass face and other fanciful design on the back plate. The movement is displayed within a Rococo style case that continued to be used by clockmakers until the late eighteenth century.