Page 30 - Demo

JOHN KNIBB
John Knibb (1650-1722), an exceptional clockmaker in his own right, was the younger brother of Joseph Knibb (1640-1721) to whom he was apprenticed in Oxford in1664.
In 1670, when his elder brother Joseph left for London, John took charge of the Oxford workshops and in 1673, upon payment of a fine, he received the Freedom of the City of Oxford where he was to remain – and prosper, for the rest of his life.
It is undoubtedly true that Joseph and John’s workshops were closely allied. The Oxford workshops had a small output compared to Joseph’s prodigious London operation. Despite the low output the Oxford workshops still had ten apprentices between 1673 and 1715; this strongly suggests that the London business was outsourcing a considerable proportion of work to John’s Oxford workshops.
Once Joseph had left for London in 1670 John’s limited production of Oxford clocks had a distinct, slightly provincial, style of their own. However a few of John’s clocks, including the present example, were of such outstanding quality that one can only come to the conclusion that they were made in London and retailed by John to one of his very wealthy clients.
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SILVER CHAPTER RINGS
There are only two clocks by John Knibb known to
have silver chapter rings:
1. A phase II table clock, with ebony case, silver mounts, velvet dial and a plain silver
chapter ring
2. The present clock with skeletonised chapter ring.