Time for a major clock exhibit in Rhode Island

The Redwood Library & Athenaeum in Newport, R.I., recently opened “The Claggetts of Newport: Master Clockmakers in Colonial America”, which will run through Apr. 21.

The exhibition features 35 clocks, the largest assemblage of Claggett and Wady clocks ever brought together, many never exhibited publicly. It examines the range of the Claggetts’ clock production in terms of their technical sophistication, decorative finesse, and context of fabrication, according to Redwood.

“The exhibition charts a complex narrative that teases out the three distinct personalities that comprise the Claggett dynasty—William Claggett (1694-1748), his assumed relative Thomas Claggett (d. 1797), and William’s son-in-law James Wady (ca. 1706-1759). As well, the show offers insights on the network of sub-contracted specialist case makers, brass founders and glaziers that the Claggett workshop relied on to produce their clocks,” Redwood said in a statement.

It features 20 clocks by William Claggett, including the arch-dial, eight-day quarter-striking clock in japanned case belonging to the Redwood, 11 by Thomas Claggett, and four by Wady.

Featured clocks are drawn from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brown University, The Preservation Society of Newport County, Old Sturbridge Village Collection, and the Rhode Island Historical Society, as well as other borrowed from private collections.

For more, visit www.redwoodlibrary.org.

The Center for Art in Wood in Philadelphia is showing “Pennsylvania Made: Local Forms in the Collection”, which opened Feb. 1 and will run through Apr. 20. The exhibition brings together more than 100 works, including vessels, furniture and sculpture among other pieces, that illustrate how wood inspires Pennsylvania artists and makers.

While the center has built an extensive collection over its 40-year history, this exhibition represents the first focus on the collection in the Gerry Lendfest Gallery since moving to its current space in 2011.

For more, visit www.thecenterforartinwood.org.

This article originally appeared in the February 2019 issue.