Fragment of an early single-hand Renaissance turret clock with hour strike, Brenner, Copenhagen 1563

292-4313  Fragment of an early single-hand Renaissance turret clock with hour strike, Brenner, Copenhagen 1563

Ca. 21 cm high, fire-gilt, case decorated with scenes based on Virgilius Solis’s series of copperplate engravings depicting the nine heroines and heroes of history; case: bronze, fire-gilt, engraved, 1 hammer / 1 bell. Dial: superimposed brass numeral ring with Roman numerals ‘I–XII’ and inner 24-hour scale with Arabic numerals, as well as push-buttons for night-time reading, engraved centre, blued iron hands. Movement: iron frame, iron and brass gear train, later chain/fusee for the walking mechanism, good string/fusee for the striking mechanism; verge escapement and spoon-shaped escape wheel are missing; incomplete, in need of restoration. A stepped, black ebonised hardwood plinth from a later period, with four pressed, gilt ball feet, serves as the base. The two-part, telescopic case features a square, moulded plinth with contemporary scrollwork engravings. On the front, alongside the engraving of the year 1563, are Stephan Brenner’s initials ‘SB’ and the coat of arms of Copenhagen. A coat of arms bearing the initials ‘OB’ in the centre of the hour dial indicates the watch’s first owner. The three sides feature engravings from the series of copperplate engravings ‘The Nine Heroines and Heroes of History’ by the Nuremberg copperplate engraver and draughtsman Virgilius Solis (1514–1562): On the right, Judas Maccabeus, the Jewish freedom fighter of the 2nd century BC; on the reverse, St Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine; and on the left, Jael, who killed an enemy of the people of Israel with a blacksmith’s hammer and a tent peg. According to Abeler’s *Meister der Uhrmacherkunst* (*Master of the Art of Watchmaking*), Stephan Brenner was probably a German watchmaker. He moved to Copenhagen in 1554 and became the court watchmaker there. He collaborated with Johan Sibe, for example on an astronomical clock dated 1556. Works by Brenner from the years 1556, 1561, 1576 and 1598 are held at the National Museum in Copenhagen. Further clocks dated between 1558 and 1597 are held in major museums and private collections both within and outside Denmark. Maker’s mark ‘SB’. Provenance: ‘The Richard and Erna Flagg Collection’