Went to my favourite antique/flea market today and came away with two 19th C cuckoo clocks. This one is a BEHA twin fusee, bone numerals and hands, cuckoo with wings, 18" high. The crown is missing, but I have one from another clock that looks fine. I also need to construct a pendulum. It is impressed BEHA to the top of the wooden movement frame Retailer was the famous London firm, Camerer Cuss, as shown on the original door label. Initial investigations suggest that it is in working order Cost was an extremely reasonable £180. Any information very welcome, as I am no expert on these clocks, thanks I'll post the other separately.
jeules - I have been watching the US ebay cuckoo & black forest pieces lately and have admit that your flea market finds are exceptionally nice pieces, especially at the prices paid. They have good looking carvings, nice clean works, and seem to be well marked/documented. Color me green. Jim Duncan
That is a nice clock! Great carving. I've always thought it odd to have a brass fusee clock in a wood-plate frame. It seems like a mismatch between primitive and sophisticated work. I don't think the crown you show does the clock justice. It's too small and the carvings are way inferior. Hopefully you'll be able to find a better one.
Thanks, Jeremy. I agree that the crown needs replacing: I'll have to keep an eye on Ebay, or maybe one will just turn up.....
Jeules -- There's a quite active, helpful and friendly Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BLACKFORESTCLOCKS. that concentrates on these fowl clocks and their kin. Oxford Street became New Oxford Street in 1881, but the reference to the 1885 Exhibition tells us that it was later than that "in any case." Zep
New Oxford street and Oxford st are two different streets. New Oxford St. is quite short and commences at the junction of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, and heads towards the City, and The British Museum and Great Russell St. are close to it. (Bloomsbury, district)
Laprade -- I'm not sure why you note that Oxford Street and New Oxford Street are two different streets. Current maps show their present, intimate relationship. The reference however was to when, in 1881, what had been an address in what was called Oxford Street was renumbered and renamed. And so noted, no doubt, in the London Post Office Directory for 1882, a copy of which, alas, have I not. Do though have a copy of Terence Camerer Cuss' 1988 volume, Camerer Cuss & Co: The Bicentenary 1788-1988, and it provides the graphic quotation below. Regards Zepernick
Hi, the number pencilled inside my Beha fusee (the one in this post) is 371, which I am assuming is the model number. The catalogue I have access to does not illustrate this particular one. Does anyone have a catalogue which does show it, as I particularly want to know what the original crest looked like? Thanks in advance, Chris.
Well, a better one turned up on eBay in the form of a Philipp Haas incomplete cuckoo clock of similar size and appearance. The crest is exactly the right size and the large cuckoo on top suits the clock well. I only wanted the crest but had to buy the lot, of course, and was able to use the pendulum as well. The case and movement have just gone back on eBay in the hope I can recoup some of my outlay!
