Improving Time

 

QUESTION: My grandfather loved old clocks and had quite a few. My favorite was a type of wall clock that looked like a banjo. In fact, he called it a banjo clock. It was one of my favorites, so when he died recently, I asked if I could have it. However, I don’t know anything else about it. Can you tell me more about banjo clocks and how I can tell the age of mine? 

ANSWER: Though it has become known as a banjo clock, it was first referred to as the Patent Timepiece, according to its inventor, noted early American clockmaker Simon Willard, who created the first one in Roxbury, near Boston, Massachusetts. Willard, originally of Grafton, Massachusetts, patented his clock in 1802. It was the first American 8-day wall clock, the first American wall clock to have the pendulum suspended in front of the weight in the case, and the first American wall clock to have the weight attached to a pulley. He reduced the brass clock mechanism to a much smaller size, thus saving brass which was in scarce supply in the early 19th century. 

He used the shape of a traditional wheel barometer for his clock case which he built by hand, to order. By 1805 the clockworks, as well as standard cases, could be produced in quantity, reducing the cost of the clock. Its small size meant a much lower price of $30, although this was still a large amount of money at the time. 

Because a banjo clock normally lacked a striking mechanism and indicated time only by its hands and dial, some horologists called it a timepiece rather than a true clock.

The banjo-style wooden case usually featured a round opening for a painted dial, a long-waisted throat, and a rectangular pendulum box with hinged door. Reverse-painted panels ornamented both the throat and door, and curved and pierced brass frets usually flanked the case. A finial mounted atop the case usually took the form of a cast-brass eagle or a turned, giltwood acorn.

Below, a narrow trunk, slightly wider at the bottom than the top, protected the weight, and at the bottom a wider compartment contained the lower part of the pendulum. Slender concave metal ornaments connected the three main parts of the clock. The design of Willard’s clock was perfect from the beginning. 

Willard's banjo clock was a lightly built, compact wall timekeeper, about 3 feet tall, accurate and dependable. It was economical to produce, graceful in appearance, and usually lacked hour-striking and alarm mechanisms. Weight-driven, it contained a small brass movement which further reduced its size and weight. The movement had been calculated so that a small drop of the weight—only 15 inches compared to about 6 feet for a tall case clock—would keep it running for 8 days. For ease of maintenance, Willard hung the clock’s pendulum in front of the movement, not behind, as in tall case or Massachusetts shelf clocks, an arrangement that American clockmakers soon widely adopted.

A typical banjo clock featured a white, circular face, painted with black Roman numerals, that flows into a long, tapered neck, which met at a square base. It also featured an elaborately painted hinged door of the base, often painted with a beautiful landscape, a naval scene, or an ornamental pattern. Thin pieces of curved brass often ran down the necks of these clocks, and brass sculptures, most commonly of an eagle, routinely crown their tops.

Willard’s Patent Timepiece revolutionized the clock industry, becoming the most popular clock in the United States. However, he didn’t apply for his patent until 1802, and by that time his competitors had already started to produce clocks similar to his. The clock became so popular that Willard didn’t even pursue these patent infringements. His company eventually produced over 4,000 banjo clocks. 

Willard permitted his numerous clockmaking relatives, former apprentices, and other clockmakers to produce banjo clocks following his original design. Variants of the banjo-style clock made by others include examples with square or diamond-shaped dials, and the extremely opulent, heavily gilt "girandole" style. 

Gideon Roberts, a Revolutionary War veteran from Bristol, Connecticut, made banjo clocks more affordable. He replaced the brass movements with less expensive wooden ones and also used painted paper dials. 

Banjo clocks were popular for 60 years. In the 1840s, railroads began using them at their stations. Some banjo clocks made for the railroads reached a whopping 7 feet high. But by the 1860s, banjo clocks became less desirable, and soon their production came almost to a complete halt.

Unfortunately for collectors of antique banjo clocks, many Willard banjo clocks do not carry their maker’s name, so it’s difficult to identify who made it.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about "Roman Arts and Culture" in the 2025 Winter Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

A Little Box Named After the Roman Goddess of Fire

 

QUESTION: A few months ago, I was out antiquing and came across several little silver boxes in an antique shop. They didn’t seem to have an obvious use, as they were too small to fit much in. The owner of the shop told me they were vesta cases and that they used to hold matches back in the 19th century. One had been decorated in repousse while the other two were rather plain. What can you tell me about these little boxes? Are they worth collecting?

ANSWER: Vesta cases were small portable boxes, made from precious and non-precious metals,  used to keep matches dry and to prevent them from igniting. Usually the base of the vesta case had a serrated edge, known as the striker. The user dragged the matches, called vestas, across the striker to ignite them. And, yes, they’re highly collectible.

Vesta cases first appeared in 1832 when an Englishman named William Newton patented a match he called the wax “vesta.” The vesta, also called a “strike anywhere match,” had a tip of phosphorus and a wax stem over cotton threads. As the name suggests, these matches would ignite when struck on different surfaces, making them prone to accidental combustion. So they needed to be enclosed in a metal case. 

Named for Vesta, the Roman goddess of fire, home, hearth and family, vesta cases often depicted her as the fire in her temple. In the United States, vesta cases became known as match safes because they kept matches safe in a non-flammable case. 

Before the invention of safety matches, matches were often struck on rough surfaces, but they were also highly susceptible to moisture. Vesta cases protected matches from both dampness and damage.

There were three main types of vesta cases—portable pocket vestas, table or mounted vestas, and “go to bed” vestas. Men often hung a pocket vesta from their watch fob chain. People kept a larger table vestas near fireplaces around their homes, as well as by the kitchen stove. And they used a “go to bed” vesta, attached to a chamberstick, to light their way to their bedroom at night. .

Manufacturers made vesta cases from a variety of materials, including silver, brass, tin, gunmetal, nickel silver,  ivory, bone, tortoiseshell, gold, pewter, and enamel. The more unusual materials included leather, wood, horn, and ceramics for table vestas. Wealthy individuals often commissioned custom cases with intricate designs, engravings, or even gemstone embellishments, transforming a practical item into a work of art.

Although most manufacturers produced vesta cases of less expensive materials, most often brass or nickel silver, thus making them more affordable, sterling silver was perhaps the most common material, especially in England. Wealthier users often carried vestas made of  gold or decorated with enamel. More expensive vestas often had a gold wash interior to prevent corrosion by the chemically active match heads.

Silver vesta cases, often hallmarked and intricately engraved, featured repoussé work, , adding texture and visual interest. People could also purchase enameled vesta cases,  adorned with miniature paintings, floral motifs, or whimsical scenes.

Besides being rectangular, vesta cases came in many different shapes and decorations. As well as plain and decorated square, oblong and round cases, many came in novelty shapes. Silver, brass, or white metal pigs with hinged heads were popular, as were vesta cases in the form of Mr Punch, hearts, skulls, books, musical instruments, owls, boots and shoes, bottles, suitcases, birds, ladies' legs, and so on. Sporting decorations were also common, especially for golf and cricket, as were hunting scenes and armorial decorations.

Jewelers often engraved decorations into metal vestas, with floreate patterns the most common, though they sometimes used other techniques, including repoussé and chasing, guilloché, engine turning, cloisonné, cold-painting, enameling and niello for more expensive cases.

Wealthier people commissioned or purchased hallmarked gold or silver vesta cases which a jeweler would often personalize by inscribing their initials in a cartouche on the front. 

As well as being status symbols, vesta case were an excellent form of advertising.  Prestigious companies engaged master silversmiths to craft vesta cases from precious metals to promote their famous brands.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, manufacturers created vesta cases to celebrate special events such as commemorating Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Anniversary or promoting companies, serving as a form of advertising. Vesta cases also promoted  cigar and tobacco brands, as well as commemorated moments in history. Many vesta cases were miniature works of art, with beautiful craftsmanship. 

Manufacturers worldwide, including those in the United Kingdom, in the U.S.A., continental Europe, Japan and Australia, produced vesta cases. Noted English goldsmiths such as Charles Murat, Asprey, Mappin & Webb, and William Neale & Sons and Sampson Mordan, also crafted sterling silver vesta cases for discerning clients.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about "Roman Arts and Culture" in the 2025 Winter Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.