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Masonic Royal Arch Shelf Clock
ca. 1870
John Haley Bellamy (1836–1914); E. N. Welch Clock Co.
USA: Massachusetts, Charlestown; Connecticut, Forestville
Walnut, glass, brass, steel
overall: 15-1/4"h x 16"w x 4-1/4"d
Special Acquisitions Fund
76.6a-d

a: Masonic Royal Arch Shelf Clock; 30 Hour ; brass with steel spring clock; walnut case carved with Masonic Royal Arch symbols of arch, pillars, square, compasses, "G", ladder, parallel lines, winged hour glass, mallet, chisel, spade, and pick ax; printed label inside reads "Thirty hour / Brass Clock / Springs Guaranteed Not to Fail / Manufactured by the / E.N. Welch Mfg. Co / Forestville, Conn. U.S.A." b: pendulum c: winding key d: wooden washer


In 1870, wood carver John Bellamy received a patent for a “new and useful Pattern for [a] Clock-Front” for this design that incorporated Masonic symbols into a mantel clock. He and other workers produced the clock fronts in Boston-area shops. With multiple designs featuring symbols important to different Masonic organizations, Bellamy sought to attract consumers associated with these rapidly growing groups in the late 1800s.