Movement by Caleb Davis
Valley of Virginia, probably Rockingham County, 1805-1815
Mahogany with satinwood, ebony, maple, yellow pine and oak
Catalog no. 175
Nearly nine feet in height, this commanding tall clock is part of an important Rockingham County group distinguished by attenuated stances and bold neoclassical inlays. Meticulously constructed, the case was skillfully veneered and adorned with inlays imported from Baltimore. More illustrative of popular central Valley of Virginia tastes, however, are the floral sprays in the tympanum and the addition of a flower with swags to the Baltimore-made fan on the skirt. As on other neoclassical clocks, the earlier use of corner columns to frame the trunk was abandoned in favor of inlaid, highly figured, satinwood panels.
The rear of the dial, unfortunately entirely repainted, was signed by Maryland-born Caleb Davis (b. 1769), a prominent clockmaker who moved to Woodstock, Virginia, in the 1790s and remained there until 1816. An important market town and the seat of Shenandoah County, Woodstock lies about thirty miles northeast of the Lincoln family farm, where this clock was originally owned.