Floor clock (one of a pair)

The floor clock is housed in a three-part high cabinet, typical of English longcase clocks of the early 18th century.

The overlapping hood is covered with a mansard roof decorated with pinnacles, topped with a semicircle, with a glass door and two side peep-holes houses the mechanism with the dial. The slender cabinet shaft, also with a door and a high pedestal on four legs, is the place for the long pendulum and weights. The outer surfaces of the cabinet, painted navy blue, are decorated with rich gilt chinois ornamentation: waterscapes, pavilion architecture, trees and bushes on the rocks and waterfowl.

The clock mechanism has a weight drive, a hook catch, a long, heavy pendulum on a steel pendant. There is a separate drive for the running mechanism and a separate drive for the striking of the half-hours and hours on a single bell with a comb system. A pinwheel strike regulator increases precision, while a repetition mechanism allows the striking of the last hour to be heard. On the dial, the clock indicates the seconds (in Arabic numerals) on a small separate silvered ring. On the large silvered ring the minutes (Arabic numerals), hours (Roman numerals) and half-hours (lily markings) are indicated. Calendar days are presented in Arabic numerals, in a small square hole below the axis. There are two holes for tensioning the weights.

In the 18th century inventory of the Wilanów palace it was registered in the White Hall.

AK