C. 1890 Antique 5' Black Forest Hunter Musical Cuckoo Clock

This Clock is one of the largest carved clocks in our collection. At just a touch under 60 inches from the bottom of the carved game bag, to the tip of the stag's antler... this clock commands attention in any room.

While these large carved hunter cuckoo clocks can be found, to find one of this quality, and this early is very difficult. This is NOT a vintage piece! This clock was made in the black forest in the later 1880's... The movement in this piece is just massive. The plates of this robust movement are cast and held together with pins. The cuckoo bird is large and plump and sits on a wood perch. The detail in the carving is unreal... look at the thin carved ropes that hand the pheasent and the hare... no expense was spared on the construction of this BF monster.

The music box in this clock is one of the largest we have ever seen in a Wall cuckoo clock. This massive 5 tune box has a 2" cylinder and the bead platge is just shy of 8"!!!

This clock was in a very high end Black Forest Clock collection in Southern California. We purcahsed the whole collection of 24 clocks, just to obtain this piece.

It currently hangs over the fireplace in our entry of Black Forest USA!

If you have a passion for Black Forest Clocks... we are always interested in meeting other collectors. Feel free to send us an email anytime madeinfurtwangen@yahoo.com

Emilian Wehrle Singing Bird Clock

This next Clock in the collection is a C. 1874 Singing Bird Clock (Singvogeluhr) made by Emilian Wehrle of Furtwangen.
The fully feathered bird is 6.5 inches from beak to tail. It is fully automated in his beak, head, and tail. Perched on the top of the clock on a carved vase of fruit and leaves it is clearly visible and looks alive.

The carvings on this clock are all done in Walnut, and the style of the case is very unique.

This clock utilizes a robust brass plate movement, with large double pumping bellow system mounted above the clock works (very similar to his Trumpeter and Flute Clocks.)

The clock movement generates it own air pressure... and by opening and closing a valve... air in moved through a large flute with a plunger.

A cam wheel on the back operates the valve and the plunger to reproduce the sound of the song bird... while controlling the bird and the Automation. The Beak runs in perfect sequence with the large song bird looks and sounds alive!

This clock is featured in Emilian Wehrles 1874 Catalog as No. 1 (see illustration). It has a cost of 180 Marks in 1874. Just to put this into perspective a very nice Beha cuckoo could be had for 25 marks.




Very few of these Singing Bird Clocks were made, even fewer survived. Making them almost impossible to locate today.

I am not aware of a museum worldwide that has a example of a Em. Wehrle Singing Bird Clock, although there are a few in private collections.

This unique clock was also published in the 2008 edition of Schwarzwalduhren, by Berthold Schaaf (The authoritative text on Black Forest Clocks, and available through amazon.de and all German Booksellers)

Johann Baptist Beha Cuckoo With Life Size Bird

Johann Baptist Beha was one of the most influential...and now famous clock makers to have ever lived in the Black Forest. Today his clocks are prized among collectors and museums . Johann Baptist Beha was a quality clock maker in Eisenbach, Germany ...during the mid to later part of the 19th C. His clocks were made of the highest quality, and were expensive. While other clocks makers would cut quality in order to compete based on price in a more competitive global market... Beha never gave in. He continued to produce a quality clock, and sold them to people who could afford them.

This piece is a very special Beha cuckoo, and one of only a small handful known like it worldwide.
The quality and detail of the carving on this piece is nothing but the best, typical of Beha. The vines are very delicately done. They wrap over and under each other with amazing detail...two small birds sit on the sides of the clock look alive... but that is not what makes this clock so special.
This clock has a life size cuckoo perched on the top of the clock... He is 12" from beak to tail, and fully automated!

You can see on this piece there is no cuckoo door.The movement in this clock is also unique. It is a three train movement. Time, Strike, and Cuckoo. While other cuckoo clocks blend the cuckoo call and the strike (cuckoo-bong, cuckoo-bong) the separation of trains allows this clock to strike the hour... pause then call the hour with the cuckoo.

This piece will also strike the half and full hour, but the cuckoo only calls the full hour.

If you look at the side view of the clock you can see that there is a large grapefruit size bell located on the top of the clock. This large bell creates a very loud distinct strike.

Last but not least the pipes used in this cuckoo clock are not square, but round. Turned on a lathe these cuckoo pipes produce a very real call.

This Beha has been documented in several horological publications over the years. Its most notable publication is the 2008 Edition of Schwarzwalduhren, by Berthold Schaaf. This is the most authoritative text on Black Forest Clocks.The book is available through any German book seller or Amazon.de

Johann Baptist was not only a quality maker, but a pioneer in Black Forest Horology these unique innovations can be seen in this very special Beha timepiece.

Best,

Justin