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London, England, United Kingdom
Auction Details
Fine Clocks
Anyone who has read Dava Sobel's book, Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time about John Harrison's invention of the first accurate clock to be used for navigation at sea, will be familiar with the name Nevil Maskelyne. In the book and subsequent BBC TV series, Maskelyne, the Astronomer Royal, is portrayed as a villain constantly thwarting Harrison for his own ends. Whatever the truth of this -- and many people have questioned it -- Maskelyne was certainly not always obstructive, as an historically important clock to be offered at Bonhams 112-lot Fine Clocks sale in London on Monday 15 December shows. The early 19th century floor-standing mahogany regulator made by William Hardy so impressed Maskelyne, that he agreed to test it at the Greenwich Observatory. It is estimated at £20,000-30,000.
Bonhams Head of Fine Clocks, James Stratton, said: "William Hardy was clearly a man of some courage and self-belief. It takes chutzpah to suggest that the Astronomer Royal himself should test your work, but his nerve was well rewarded and it's a real pleasure to be able to offer such an historically significant piece. The records we have of Maskelyne's tests show that this clock was accurate to within a second per day, representing a significant and -- just as importantly -- consistent improvement in accuracy."
Auction Details
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