- The export bar is to allow time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire the piece
- The clock was designed and made by Ahasuerus Fromanteel, the first maker of pendulum clocks in Britain, at the beginning of the golden age of English clockmaking
Valued at £3,009,000, an exquisite and rare Fromanteel longcase clock dating to 1660 is at risk of leaving the country unless a UK buyer can be found.
The earliest surviving purpose-made longcase clock, the ebony-veneered piece is a fine example of the type of clock that was the bedrock of precise mechanical, scientific and domestic timekeeping from the late 17th century well into the 20th century. Despite restorations, the majority of the clock’s case is original and the piece is an excellent early example of the architectural form of longcase clock as it developed in this period.
Ahasuerus Fromanteel, the clock’s maker, was the first to create pendulum clocks in England and gained the notice and patronage of Oliver Cromwell, during the Interregnum.
Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said:
The invention of…
