Cushion Top

The name given to the shaped tops of hoods of longcse clocks towards the end of the 17th century, when carved cresting went out of fashion. Cushion tops appeared in a variety of shapes, such as a simple ovolo moulding surmounted by a small platform, or in the style of the wooden basket top to be found on the bracket clocks of the period. In more ornate clocks the cushion top might even appear as a double inverted bell. The cushion top was often ornamented with a pair of turned and gilded ball-shaped finials or similar ones in a spiral, flame-like form. It was usually veneered and decorated in the same way as the rest of the case and was a favorite hood top for taller, arch-dial longcase clocks, lasting until the introduction of the pagoda top about 1740.