Clock thumbnail 1
Clock thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Not currently on display at the V&A
On display at Blackwell, The Arts & Crafts House

This object consists of 2 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

Clock

c.1900 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Makay Hugh Baillie Scott was primarily an architect, but he also designed interiors and furniture. He believed 'furniture should appear to grow out of the requirements of the room, to represent the finishing touches of a scheme which had its inception when the first stage of the house was laid'.

The design for this clock is one of over 80 furniture designs by Baillie Scott featured in a catalogue of his work called A Book of Furniture, produced in 1901. The catalogue was produced by J.P. White, the high class joinery firm of the Pyghtle Works, Bedford, who manufactured much of Baillie Scott’s work.

A piano by Baillie Scott, decorated by White, is also in the V & A collections.

As with many Arts and Crafts clocks, this clock bears text appropriate to the theme of ‘Time’. The Latin inscription, ‘FESTINA LENTE’, translates as ‘hurry slowly’.

This clock is on long-term loan to Blackwell, Cumbria.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Clock
  • Pendulum
Materials and techniques
Case of mahogany, inlaid with stained woods. The dial of copper
Brief description
CLOCK
Mahogany case inlaid with coloured woods, the inlay including the inscription 'FESTINA LENTE'. The dial of copper
Designed by Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott
Made by J P White, The Pyghtle Works, Bedford, about 1900
Physical description
Mahogany case inlaid with coloured woods, the inlay including the inscription 'FESTINA LENTE'. Copper dial. Stylised bird motif.

Mahogany case inlaid with coloured wo

s,e inlay including the inscription 'FESTINA LENTE'. The dial of copper
Designed by Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott
Made by J P White, The Pyghtle Works, Bedford, about 1900
Dimensions
  • Height: 51cm
  • Width: 31.5cm
  • Depth: 16.7cm
LW 20.1.10
Style
Marks and inscriptions
FESTINA LENTE (Inlaid into front of case)
Translation
Hurry slowly
Gallery label
Baillie Scott's published designs contributed to the influence of British arts and crafts ideals on Continental art nouveau design, particularly in Vienna. Few recorded examples of his furniture survive, mostly made by J.P. White of Bedford. A piano by Baillie Scott, decorated by White, is on display in the next gallery (room 120). (1994)
Credit line
Given by Messrs John White & Sons Ltd, The Pyghtle Works, Bedford
Object history
This clock was given to the V&A in 1953 by its makers [53/744]. It had initially been lent to the Museum by John White & Sons for an exhibition of Victorian and Edwardian decorative art. It was lent by the V&A to the Bethnal Green Museum in 1968.

In March 2016 this clock was sent on long-term loan to Blackwell, an Arts and Crafts house in Cumbria which was designed by Baillie Scott.
Subject depicted
Summary
Makay Hugh Baillie Scott was primarily an architect, but he also designed interiors and furniture. He believed 'furniture should appear to grow out of the requirements of the room, to represent the finishing touches of a scheme which had its inception when the first stage of the house was laid'.

The design for this clock is one of over 80 furniture designs by Baillie Scott featured in a catalogue of his work called A Book of Furniture, produced in 1901. The catalogue was produced by J.P. White, the high class joinery firm of the Pyghtle Works, Bedford, who manufactured much of Baillie Scott’s work.

A piano by Baillie Scott, decorated by White, is also in the V & A collections.

As with many Arts and Crafts clocks, this clock bears text appropriate to the theme of ‘Time’. The Latin inscription, ‘FESTINA LENTE’, translates as ‘hurry slowly’.

This clock is on long-term loan to Blackwell, Cumbria.
Collection
Accession number
W.7-1953

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Record createdMarch 22, 2005
Record URL
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