DOI issue:
Nr. 2-4
DOI article:Mieleszkiewicz, Stefan: Vilnius as a production centre of longcase clocks from the mid-eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth century
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18948#0109
5, 6).21 The former together with an almost identical movement,22 signed:
„Józef Barkmann Wilnie Ro: 1815” on the dial, is very closely related to
English clocks with sąuare, silver-plated, engraved dials, which appeared
in the seventeen sixties and became particularly popular during the next
two decades. Doubtlessly, both Vilnius masters were familiar with the John
Shelton’s precise clocks from the astronomical observatory of the Vilnius
University.2, One of such clocks was brought to Vilnius thanks to support
of king Stanislas Augustus.24 This tape of regulator, with an anchor static
escapement and compensating pendulum (i.e. keeping the lens’ gravity centre
on the same level which ensured excellent readings) was introduced in the
second ąuarter of the eighteenth century by Georg Graham, one of the most
famous and eminent English clockmakers. In England this regulator was still
produced in the beginning and even in the second ąuarter of the nineteenth
century.2'
21 A regulator, originally from the historical collection of the Batory University in Vilnius, with
a precise movement eąuipped with pin wheel escapement, compensating grate pendulum with
a large lens and strike by a count-wheel of Parisian type. On the silver-plated, engraved dial
(42.9 x 31.1; O 31 cm) an inscription with signature: “HOROLOGUM MUSEI PHYSICI IN
CAESAREA LITTERARUM UNIVERSITATE VILNENSI, CONSTRUCTUM VILNAE A.D. 1828
a Joachimo Sawicki”, below: “HORA XIITEMPORIS MEDII INMERIDIEM VERUMINCURRIT:
DIEBUS:
YS.
N.S.
APRILIS
4
16
JUNII
4
16
AUGUSTI
20
SEPT. 1
DECEMBRIS
13
13 DEC. 25
Mahogany-dyed birch wood case (241x51.5x27.5 cm) with straight sides and front, with a glass
wing of the trunk door.
22 The clock, now in the National Museum of Lithuania (Vilnius, Lietuvos Nacionalinis Muziejus,
no inv. no.) was madę by Joseph Bergmann’s son. Like the Frolland’s clock, lt is a precise regulator
with no strike, eąuipped with Graham escapement, but its dial is smaller (27.5 x 27.2 cm) and
not silvered
23 The presence of Shelton’s clock is confirmed by Lustracyja Collegium Akademickiego Wileń-
skiego Anno 1773 9bris 17 Dnia po promulgowaney Bulli rozpoczęta, anno zaś 1774 January
13 Dnia zakończona (Vilniaus Universiteto Biblioteka [VUB], sign. F2-DC6, ch. 360; I am grateful
to Ruta Vitauskiene for turning my attention to this document). There were probably three or
four clocks of this master in the observatory. Priest Jowin Fryderyk Bystrzycki’s letter to Marcin
Poczobut of 1 August 1774 mentions positive testing in Warsaw of a Shelton’s clock bought for
Vilnius Academy (VUB, sign. F—16—4), while priest Jan Chevalier from Warsaw in his letter of
5 February 1776 gives a list of instruments he bought for Vilnius observatory, among others:
“three [crossed out] 2 Schelton’s Clocks - 240 zlotys”. Also Marcin Poczobut in his letter to Jan
Śniadecki from 1788 writes that in Vilnius observatory there is: “a clock like the one in Oxford
and Greenwich, madę by Shelton, and another one, madę by the famous Elikot. The former is
for the Sun, the latter for the stars”; cf. E.P. Rybka, Historia astronomii w Polsce, vol. II, Wrocław
1983, p. 61. One of these clocks is kept in the National Museum of Fithuania (Vilnius, Fietuvos
Nacionalinis Muziejus, inv. no. IM 3007). There were also Shelton’s chronometers in
observatones in Cracow and in the Royal Castle in Warsaw (cf. E.P. Rybka, op.cit., p. 80). John
Shelton (1720-1766) - a Fondon constructor of high ąuality regulators.
24 Cf. Z. Prószyńska, “Wprowadzenie do wydania polskiego”, in Zegary, poradnik kolekcjonera,
Warszawa 1997, p. 5.
25 For example Thomas Ernshaw’s movements from the Armagh Observatory, those of Paul Philip
103
„Józef Barkmann Wilnie Ro: 1815” on the dial, is very closely related to
English clocks with sąuare, silver-plated, engraved dials, which appeared
in the seventeen sixties and became particularly popular during the next
two decades. Doubtlessly, both Vilnius masters were familiar with the John
Shelton’s precise clocks from the astronomical observatory of the Vilnius
University.2, One of such clocks was brought to Vilnius thanks to support
of king Stanislas Augustus.24 This tape of regulator, with an anchor static
escapement and compensating pendulum (i.e. keeping the lens’ gravity centre
on the same level which ensured excellent readings) was introduced in the
second ąuarter of the eighteenth century by Georg Graham, one of the most
famous and eminent English clockmakers. In England this regulator was still
produced in the beginning and even in the second ąuarter of the nineteenth
century.2'
21 A regulator, originally from the historical collection of the Batory University in Vilnius, with
a precise movement eąuipped with pin wheel escapement, compensating grate pendulum with
a large lens and strike by a count-wheel of Parisian type. On the silver-plated, engraved dial
(42.9 x 31.1; O 31 cm) an inscription with signature: “HOROLOGUM MUSEI PHYSICI IN
CAESAREA LITTERARUM UNIVERSITATE VILNENSI, CONSTRUCTUM VILNAE A.D. 1828
a Joachimo Sawicki”, below: “HORA XIITEMPORIS MEDII INMERIDIEM VERUMINCURRIT:
DIEBUS:
YS.
N.S.
APRILIS
4
16
JUNII
4
16
AUGUSTI
20
SEPT. 1
DECEMBRIS
13
13 DEC. 25
Mahogany-dyed birch wood case (241x51.5x27.5 cm) with straight sides and front, with a glass
wing of the trunk door.
22 The clock, now in the National Museum of Lithuania (Vilnius, Lietuvos Nacionalinis Muziejus,
no inv. no.) was madę by Joseph Bergmann’s son. Like the Frolland’s clock, lt is a precise regulator
with no strike, eąuipped with Graham escapement, but its dial is smaller (27.5 x 27.2 cm) and
not silvered
23 The presence of Shelton’s clock is confirmed by Lustracyja Collegium Akademickiego Wileń-
skiego Anno 1773 9bris 17 Dnia po promulgowaney Bulli rozpoczęta, anno zaś 1774 January
13 Dnia zakończona (Vilniaus Universiteto Biblioteka [VUB], sign. F2-DC6, ch. 360; I am grateful
to Ruta Vitauskiene for turning my attention to this document). There were probably three or
four clocks of this master in the observatory. Priest Jowin Fryderyk Bystrzycki’s letter to Marcin
Poczobut of 1 August 1774 mentions positive testing in Warsaw of a Shelton’s clock bought for
Vilnius Academy (VUB, sign. F—16—4), while priest Jan Chevalier from Warsaw in his letter of
5 February 1776 gives a list of instruments he bought for Vilnius observatory, among others:
“three [crossed out] 2 Schelton’s Clocks - 240 zlotys”. Also Marcin Poczobut in his letter to Jan
Śniadecki from 1788 writes that in Vilnius observatory there is: “a clock like the one in Oxford
and Greenwich, madę by Shelton, and another one, madę by the famous Elikot. The former is
for the Sun, the latter for the stars”; cf. E.P. Rybka, Historia astronomii w Polsce, vol. II, Wrocław
1983, p. 61. One of these clocks is kept in the National Museum of Fithuania (Vilnius, Fietuvos
Nacionalinis Muziejus, inv. no. IM 3007). There were also Shelton’s chronometers in
observatones in Cracow and in the Royal Castle in Warsaw (cf. E.P. Rybka, op.cit., p. 80). John
Shelton (1720-1766) - a Fondon constructor of high ąuality regulators.
24 Cf. Z. Prószyńska, “Wprowadzenie do wydania polskiego”, in Zegary, poradnik kolekcjonera,
Warszawa 1997, p. 5.
25 For example Thomas Ernshaw’s movements from the Armagh Observatory, those of Paul Philip
103