A George III mahogany longcase clock signed J H de Magellan

the dial inscribed J H de Magellan / Fieri Curavit / Londini, the pendulum inscribed J H de Magellan, Inv^{t & Fieri Curavit / Londini}.  Works and case possibly associated.

Overall good restored condition with a later finish; the hood with losses to the cloth backing to the fret carving to the side panels; blind fret carving to the cresting with perishing to the finish and with replacements to the carving with areas of lifting; the swan-neck broken pediment appears to have old repaired breaks; the trunk with a scuff and chip to the middle on the front right edge; small stress tears to the veneers of the cupboard door; lifting, warpage and stress tears to the veneer of the central panel of the plinth; age cracks to side panels above the lines of construction at the front edges; the molded base and feet with patches to molding; the two side moldings loose and with old glue; the underside with a split and slightly coming away from the dovetails with areas of old restoration; the base in need of basic restoration; overall with some old marks, scratches and scuffs.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

J H de Magellan and the Latin phrase Fieri Curavit (caused to be made) engraved on the clock face suggest that Jean-Hyacinthe de Magellan probably designed and commissioned this clock from a clockmaker, as well as the pendulum, also engraved de Magellan,  designed to compensate for changes in climate.  The contemporary clock case, made of mahogany and mahogany veneers is very finely made.  It is possible that it was also a specific commission to house the movement, which is smaller in size than a typical movement of a longcase clock.

J H de Magellan, or João Jacinto de Magalhães was born in Aveiro, Portugal, November 4, 1722.  At age 11 he began his studies at the Colégio da Sapiência in Coimbra eventually joining the Monastery of Santa Cruz in 1743, becoming a canon of the church in 1751.  In 1755, Pope Bento XIV granted Magalhães permission to leave the monastery in order to pursue a 'philosophical journey'.  Magalhães travelled through Europe for the next few years as a tutor and met many well-known scientists with whom he would eventually correspond.  By 1763, he settled in England, making contact with Emanuel Mendes da Costa (1717-1791), librarian and superintendent of the Royal Society, and used London as a base of operations from which he published his discoveries and traveled to meet with fellow scientists such as Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794), Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) and L. Euler (1707-1783), amongst others.  He also began to correspond with Charles Messier (1730-1817), Jean-Baptiste-Gaspard Bochart de Saron (1730-1794), Joseph Jérôme Lefrançais de Lalande (1732-1807), Pierre Méchain (1744-1804) John Nevil Maskelyne (1732-1811), Nathaniel Pigott (?-1804) and Thomas Hornsby (1733-1810).  His correspondence is not only important to modern scientific historians, but was very important for disseminating scientific discoveries and discussion throughout Europe.  He is also credited with introducing English scientific instruments, and the work of Joseph Priestley, member of the American Philosophical Society (1785) to the French scientific community.

Besides publishing his many works, Magalhães also designed mechanical devices and scientific instruments, most notably a set of astronomical and meteorological instruments for the court of Madrid, and a clock for the blind Duke of Arenberg that indicated the time and day through various bells.  He also designed instruments with lenses, telescopes, parallactic machines, astronomical clocks and micrometers and supervised the design and construction of these instruments by well-known makers, such as Dolland and Ramselen.

Having studied the latest and most advanced techniques in compass magnetization, Magalhães proposed changes and improvements to astronomical and nautical observation instruments such as English sextants and octants and in the pendulum clock. In 1772, the Board of Navigation in England nominated Magalhães to oversee the navigational compasses of English ships.  Ultimately, his work and notoriety earned him membership in the Royal Society, London (1774) and the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia (1784), as well as corresponding membership in the academies of science in Brussels, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris and St. Petersburg.

A 30-hour wall regulator similarly signed J. H. de Magellan, sold, Christie's, London, July 12, 1995, lot 412.

For further information about Jacinto de Magalhães please see:

www.amphilsoc.org/library/mole/m/magellan.htm

cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/ciencia_eng/p4.html