Editing Mantel clock

{{one source|date=December 2009}}
[[File:Clock Julien Beliard.jpg|thumb|French ormolu mantel clock (around 1800) by Julien Béliard (born 1758 – died after 1806), [[Paris]]. The clock case by Claude Galle (1758–1815).]]
[[File:Unknown - Zegar kominkowy - MNK IV-Zeg-158 (13080).jpg|thumb|Mantel clock from Austria (around 1840), [[National Museum in Kraków]].]]
[[File:Seth Thomas tambour mantel clock ca. 1930.jpg|thumb|A Seth Thomas American tambour-style mantel clock, dating to around 1930.]]
[[File:Art_Deco_Shelf_Clock_Amboina_Wood.jpg|thumb|Art Deco Mantel Clock from Amboina Wood around 1930]]

'''Mantel clocks'''—or '''shelf clocks'''—are relatively small house [[clock]]s traditionally placed on the shelf, or [[fireplace mantel|mantel]], above the [[fireplace]]. The form, first developed in [[France]] in the 1750s, can be distinguished from earlier chamber clocks of similar size due to a lack of carrying handles.

These clocks are often highly ornate, decorative works. They are most frequently constructed from any combination of [[ormolu]], [[porcelain]], and [[wood]]. One of the most common and valued types of mantel clocks are the [[French Empire mantel clock|French Empire-style timepieces]].

Simon Willard's shelf clock (half clock, Massachusetts shelf clock) was a relatively economical clock which was produced by the celebrated [[Simon Willard]]'s [[Roxbury Street]] workshop, in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], around the first decades of the 19th century. Right after inventing the [[banjo clock]], Simon Willard brought the design further, designing the similar Massachusetts shelf clock which was related to the traditional [[bracket clock]]s. Simon's new creation ran for eight days.

==Specifications==
In contrast to wall clocks, whose movements were attached to the back board, the shelf clock had its movement supported by a seat board. In the 1790s in Boston, Simon Willard began selling other standardized shelf clocks. Indeed, it looked like a standard tall clock whose hood and base were directly conjoined and whose body was missing. These models included both a [[Clock face|second hand]] and a [[calendar]] dial.

==[[Georgian era]]==
Simon Willard's shelf clocks were [[weight-driven]] and some models had an extended base for the weight so they achieved a one-week running period. Also, they had a [[Escapement|pinwheel escapement]]. Their strike mechanism was the [[rack and snail]]. The [[pendulum]] length could be adjusted through a hole in the clock face at the 12 o'clock position, so it was not necessary to open the case.

==[[Victorian decorative arts]]==
Some later shelf clocks featured two artistically finished [[glass]] tablets which were beside the circular [[Clock face|dial]]. The whole clock was mounted on [[lion]] paws. Willard's shelf clocks were produced until the 1830s. The [[Willard Brothers]] revolutionized the clock manufacturing by both labor division and using multiple previously molded parts. However, it is commonly accepted that historically their clocks were not definitively popular. Instead, [[Eli Terry]] popularized the clock ownership among common American people. Nowadays, Simon Willard's clocks are recognized as American masterpieces. As such, they are avidly sought by both [[antiquarian]]s and [[museum]]s. A Simon Willard clock in perfect condition can be purchased for anywhere from $50,000 up to $250,000.

==Edwardian==
[[Carriage clock]]

==In popular culture==
An animated figure of a mantel clock, "[[Cogsworth]]", is a character in Disney's films, ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' (1991; animated), voiced by [[David Ogden Stiers]],<ref name="king2017">{{cite magazine |last=King |first=Darryn |date=2 March 2017 |title=Beauty and the Beast’s Lumiére and Cogsworth Have a Fascinating Real-Life Backstory |magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/03/beauty-and-the-beast-lumiere-cogsworth-animators-true-story |access-date=11 October 2024 }}</ref> and ''[[Beauty and the Beast (2017 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' (2017; live action/CGI), portrayed by [[Ian McKellen]].<ref name="king2017" />

==See also==
* [[Bracket clock]]
* [[Chariot clock]] 
* [[Eli Terry|Connecticut shelf clock]]
* [[French Empire mantel clock]]
* [[Lighthouse clock]]
* [[Aaron Willard|Massachusetts shelf clock]]
* [[Simon Willard]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mantel Clock}}
[[Category:Clock designs]]