John Birge (1785-1862) of Bristol, Connecticut, was an important figure among early American clockmakers.  He began working as a carpenter and carriage maker. But around 1822, he joined Dr. Thomas Merriman in a partnership, building clocks under the name Merriman Birge & Co. Over the next few decades, he entered into several partnerships, producing shelf clocks such as this one, an eight day brass movement, time and strike “triple decker” shelf or mantel clock, with the original bubbled glass eglomise reverse painted central tablet, a similar reverse painted pendulum door, gilded and painted half columns, and a beautiful gilded gesso eagle crest. It was probably made in the 1840s. 

Until recently, it had hung on the wall of my living room, suspended about five feet above the floor. Then one evening I was awakened by a thunderous crash. The clock had come loose from it’s mooring, and fallen to the floor! I found the clock lying on its side, and my heart sank as I was certain it had been destroyed. But amazingly, all the glass panels were perfectly intact. The only damage was to the tip of one of the eagle wings, and one tiny hinge pin holding the face door was missing.

I gathered the fragments of the wing tip and was able to repair the eagle, and put the face door back in place. The pendulum weights constituted most of the weight of the clock. So I removed them.

So for this wonderful Humpty Dumpty of a clock, it didn’t take all the king’s horses and all the king’s men to put it together again. I remounted it, this time supported by a solid two-inch plank shelf and two carved Victorian corbels. It’s probably ticked its last tock for the foreseeable future. I have no intention of ever selling it. But it will stand as a silent sentinel, restored to a place of honor on the wall. 

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