John May (active 1750-1788)
A large George II longcase clock in Dutch burr wood marquetry case, the top adorned with Atlas flanked by angles of carved giltwood, the gilt brass dial with silvered Roman and Arabic chapter ring, movement with calendar, minute and second dial and dubble striking bell. Signed John May, c. 1760. H. 268 cm. W. 68 cm. D. 43 cm.
John May, born in the Netherlands, is the son of the famous Amsterdam clockmaker, Benjamin May. In this beautiful copy you can see that John is a trendsetter of what will later be called: English import. This Amsterdammer longcase by John May still has the beautiful early high quality clock case. Thanks to his Dutch father. Also has the beautifully constructed Dutch dial and number ring, also thanks to its Dutch father. And very special; The chapter ring is signed London. So, John made the still high quality Dutch timepieces in London, made for the Dutch export market. Later, the Dutch timepieces made in England became the norm for Amsterdam longcases for decades. Unfortunately, this overwhelming success had only one downside, namely decline. Fortunately, John May thought very differently about that. “Only the highest quality is good enough for export".
Provenance: ”House of Danske Bank” Antiques, art and design from Erichsen’s House and other historic buildings of Holmens Kanal, Copenhagen.
Wear due to age and use. The watch works, but we do not guarantee for the functionality. The movement appears clean and in working order. Pendulum, a pair of weights and key is enclosed.
Condition report available on request.