Welch, Spring & Co. "Patti V.P." Victorian Rosewood Shelf Clock, c. 1880s

A late 19th-century parlor shelf clock by Welch, Spring & Co. — the high-grade movement brand of E. N. Welch Manufacturing Co., Forestville, Connecticut — in the Patti V.P. model, one of a series of movements named after celebrated opera singers of the era. The rosewood and rosewood-veneered case presents the full architectural vocabulary of the period: a domed bonnet flanked by three turned-and-stepped finials, applied roundels at each corner and along the columns, and a pair of full turned columns framing the arched glazed door. The case rests on a stepped, ogee-molded plinth. The door retains its reverse-painted glass with gold and black geometric scrollwork and dot-work decoration on a black ground.

The enameled metal dial is set in a polished brass bezel with Roman numerals and trefoil hands, flanked by twin winding arbors for the time-and-strike movement. The brass plate movement is stamped 145 on the lower edge and drives a coiled wire gong mounted to the case floor. A copper-tone stamped pendulum with a windmill cabochon center and a matching brass winding key are included. The side panels are glazed, allowing the movement and pendulum to be viewed from either side. No maker's label is present in the case interior.

CONDITION

Good with age-appropriate cosmetic wear. Paint loss to the upper right corner of the reverse-painted door glass. Finials are removable and all present.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall: 19" H × 13.5" W × 6.5" D
• Maker: Welch, Spring & Co. (E. N. Welch Mfg. Co.), Forestville, Connecticut
• Model: Patti V.P.
• Case: Rosewood and rosewood-veneered
• Sides: Glass panels
• Dial: Enameled metal, Roman numerals, brass bezel, trefoil hands
• Movement: 8-day, time-and-strike, spring-driven brass plate; stamped 145; coiled wire gong
• Door: Reverse-painted glass, gold and black geometric scrollwork
• Included: Winding key and copper-tone pendulum with windmill center