Movement by James Huston
Augusta County, Virginia, probably Staunton, 1770-1780
Black walnut with yellow pine and tulip poplar
Catalog no. 169
James Huston, a Philadelphia silversmith, clockmaker, and gunsmith who moved to Augusta County in the late 1750s, made this tall clock. The influence of Pennsylvania craft customs in the Valley of Virginia is evident in this clock, which features an exceptionally fine silvered brass dial with spiky floral engraving. Similarly suggestive is the delicate vine-and-flower motif that encircles the nameplate, a design found on ceramics, painted pieces, and other German-American artifacts. The fylfot at the center of the seconds dial is closely associated with German and Swiss art.
The heavy scale of the individual parts of the wooden case, including the one-inch-thick sides and the prominent use of wooden pins, also imply the hand of a German-American artisan. However, the overall design echoes the type of British-inspired cases then popular in Philadelphia.