The clock was a rarity in the colonial home; if a timepiece was included it was invariably a tall clock. The form developed during the 1660s in order to accommodate a longer, more accurate pendulum; the earliest clocks had only an hour hand, and it was not until the century’s close before second and minute hands were added. A bonnet that slid in place enclosed the movement, protecting it from dust.

Peter Stretch, a native of Leek, Staffordshire, was apprenticed to his uncle Samuel Stretch. A Quaker, in 1702 he immigrated to Philadelphia, where he became the second documented clockmaker, following Abel Cottey (1655–1711), to ply his craft there. Within six years of his arrival Stretch became a member of the city’s Common Council, a position he held until his death. He trained his sons William (d. 1748) and Thomas (d. 1765), the latter the maker of the celebrated Pennsylvania State House clock. Distinct variations among the cases housing Peter Stretch’s movements confirm that their production reflects the work of more than one cabinetshop. This stately clock, with its arched door, fretwork carving, and sarcophagus top, is completely in the Late Baroque idiom, representing the most fully developed Philadelphia interpretation of the form.

Technical notes: Black walnut; southern yellow pine (case backboard, bottom board front strip, shelf), eastern white pine (bottom board rear strip), Atlantic white cedar. The backboard extends from the foot upward to form the supports for the movement’s shelf. Inside the door are cutouts for the brass hinges. The glass, which appears to be early, may be original. The lock, hinges, escutcheon, spandrel fretwork, central plinth, and finials are restorations. The movement is an eight-day rack and snail striking clock with anchor-recoil escapement. Chalk figures are recorded inside the case.

Related examples: A number of Stretch clocks are known. Those closely related to the Bayou Bend example include American Collector 10 (August 1941), p. 1; Antiques 65 (June 1954), p. 440; Hornor 1977, p. 56, pl. 34; Antiques 114 (November 1978), p. 841; Antiques 132 (October 1987), p. 652.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff. American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1988.