A mantel clock representing an incident in the struggle between the Sabines and the Romans and an interpretation of Jacques-Louis David's painting when the Sabine women intervene to reconcile the warring parties. Romulus, to the right, is poised to hurl h

Keeping Time: Clocks in the Royal Collection

Extraordinary timepieces in the Royal Collection, 1630-1830

      THOMAS TOMPION (BAPT.1639 D. 1713)

      Longcase equation clock

      c.1703

      RCIN 2754

      According to an anonymous description of Buckingham House published in 1802, in ‘every room the encouragement given by his Majesty [George III] to ingenious constructors of time-pieces is apparent’.  Among the evidence for this was an elaborate floor standing clock originally made for Queen Anne's husband, Prince George of Denmark, in the early eighteenth century.  As a dedicated and knowledgeable horologist, George III was well qualified to appreciate the mathematical skill and technical ingenuity of the clock's workmanship.  The timepiece runs for 390 days on a single winding, and its complex motion marks the time, date and day of the week.  It is the work of Thomas Tompion (c.1639–1713), the foremost clockmaker in English history.  

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