wall clock

Object NameMusical Wall Clock with Glass Bells

Made Fromwood, glass, metal, paper

Dateabout 1800

Place MadeGermany, Black Forest

Techniqueblown; sheet glass

SizeOverall H: 38.7 cm, W: 27.7 cm, D: 22.7 cm

Accession Number79.3.6

Curatorial Area(s)

Early Modern

On ViewEuropean Gallery

Physical DescriptionColorless and transparent green non-lead glasses; blown, sheet glass. Roughly rectangular form; the face, a rectangular frame, divided into two sections, covered by sheet glass plates, covering (in the lower part) a circular dial with twelve hours indicated in Roman numerals, minutes ("10", "30", "40", and "60") in Arabic numbers [placed incorrectly]; green stylized flowers in the corners; in the upper section, a series of red and black bull's-eyes under a series of overlapping arches in red ink; the frame painted brown, heavily alligatored; the reverse covered with weathered wood sheets; pierced with four holes, one for the pendulum (at 12 o'clock), the hands at the center, and two (at 8 o'clock) for the pin and latch on the musical barrel; attached to the face of the clock case with screws, loops, and a horizontal bar near the bottom, on the back; the pendulum formed of a shaped piece of wire with gilt star-shaped weight; the pendulum swings in front of the face; the two hands, of wood, shaped, pointed, painted partly in red; the clock movement with wooden gears and metal pins and springs; a cylinder with inserted flat metal pins arranged to play six tunes; nine cup-shaped glass bells suspended from short stems and with ball finials (one bell is missing); the bells played by wood disk strikers on wires, activated by the pins on the cylinder; the "hour" bell of transparent green, the others colorless; the bells supported on a wood frame; the case for the works with flat wood slabs on top, back, and bottom; flat wood slabs attached to the sides using hooks and loops; three metal chains, each with a suspended lead-filled can weight passes through the bottom; one weight narrow, long, cylindrical, with rounded end; another weight a larger cylinder with rounded end; the third weight cylindrical, with conical end; the chains supplied with rings on one end, hooks on the other.
Provenance

Source Sotheby-Parke-Bernet - 1979-02-26