Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

Wall Clock with Masonic Symbols
2005
John Angelis (b. 1939- )
USA: New Jersey
Walnut, mahogany, birch, teewood, metal, varnish
overall: 40-1/4"h x 24-1/4"w x 4-7/8"d
Gift of John Angelis
2020.032

Wall Clock with Masonic Symbols. FRONT: Wall clock composed of various kinds of varnished wood including walnut, mahogany, birch, and teewood. Its lower half is made up of a square piece of wood that has an inlaid checkerboard pattern of black (likely painted) and light-colored wood; at center of checkerboard is a square of medium-brown wood with the clock's face on it. Face has circular area at center in a slightly warmer tone of wood than surrounding square; it features a central design of a large inlaid light-brown wood square and compasses, hour and minute hands of ornately shaped black metal, and a red metal second hand with a straight shape; it also has inlaid, light-colored wood trim around it and twelve light-colored wood Masonic emblems in place of numbers. These emblems, clockwise from top, are a square and compasses, a gauge, a carpenter's square, an open bible, a mallet, a level, a beehive, a trowel, a plumb, an hourglass, a compasses, and the columns Joachin and Boaz. Applied to checkerboard surface below clock face area is a rectangular, gold-colored metal plaque applied a screw at either end; it has a black rectangle at center and the gold text, "R.W. John Angelis P.G.C.". Below checkboard area is a medium-brown wooden strip of bead moulding. At either end it has short, square pedestals that are also trimmed at top and bottom with bead moulding and have decorative finials emanating from their underside. Atop these pedestals are columns that are almost the same height as the checkerboard area, and have grooves running up their sides lengthwise and ornate capitals with globes atop them. Above checkerboard clock face area is a dark-brown panel of wood divided into two sections: lower section is rectangular and has light-colored, carved wood emblems applied to it that are shaded in some places with grey paint (possibly); these include a Scottish Rite Emblem at center (double-headed eagle with square and compasses with a G at top, a "32" within a delta at breast, and a sword with an overhanging banner below), a G within a square and compasses on PR side, and a Shrine emblem on PL side (scimitar, double tiger claw, Sphinx head, and star); upper section has triangular shape and a light-colored, pentagonal carved wood all-seeing eye emblem applied to it that is shaded in some places with grey paint (possibly); top of this section is trimmed with decorative bead moulding, and finials at either top corner. BACK: Silver-colored metal wire for hanging is attached at either end to silver-colored metal D-rings at tops of silver-colored metal plates with three screws each. On lower portion, square of dark-brown wood at center applied with four screws; a small rectangle of lighter-colored wood is applied at its center with a yellow painted (possibly) screw. Top portion has eleven silver-colored metal screws along its edge.

John Angelis (b. 1939) emigrated to the United States from Greece in 1974. He worked as a wood carver for the piano maker Steinway & Sons for many years. A member of Azure Masada Lodge No. 129 in Cranford, New Jersey, he served as Master of the Lodge in 1995. Angelis designed and built this clock and hand carved the three-dimensional elements. An active Freemason, Angelis displayed his pride in Freemasonry on the clock, decorating it with Masonic symbols and placing symbolic tools at every hour on the clock face.