Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood
Los 907
Watkin Owen, Llanrwst an oak longcase clock: having an eight-day duration, five-pillar movement striking the hours on a bell with a wood rod to the pendulum and conical shaped weights as typical of this maker, the thirteen-inch square painted dial having black Arabic hour numerals, a subsidiary seconds dial, date aperture, blued steel hands and signed to the centre Watn. Owen, Llanrwst, decorated with two sailing ships to the centre and flora to the four corners, the false-plate to the rear of the dial embossed with the dialmaker's name Wilson, Bham, the oak case having fan inlaid decoration to the trunk door and raised panel to the base, with fluted quarter columns to the trunk, the hood having turned pillars with cast-brass capitals and a shallow swan-neck pediment with a carved wooden fan finial to the centre, all standing on bracket feet, height 206cms.* Biography Watkin Owen was a fine maker and his history, and that of his family is well-recorded. He took over the family clockmaking business 1776 aged twenty following the death of his father John, a most skilled and excellent clockmaker himself, and continued for another thirty-three years. He always fitted his movements with five pillars as opposed to the normal four and his painted dials were supplied by Wilson of Birmingham, one of the first to manufacture this style and considered one of the finest exponents. Watkin Owen died in April 1809.* Note For an in-depth study detailing the life, clocks and working practices of Watkin Owen see Colin & Mary Brown, The Clockmakers of Llanrwst, Bridge Books 1993.
