Miniature Clock
1575-1600 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This miniature clock may have been made for a collector's cabinet, in which technical virtuosity would have been valued as much as artistic creativity. The translucent enamel plaques on the face and sides of this clock are of a kind associated with the Augsburg goldsmith David Altenstetter (master 1572, died 1617).
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver and silver gilt with enamels, brass base and dome. |
| Brief description | Minature table clock in gilt-metal with Altenstetter enamels, probably made in Augsburg, 1680-1699 |
| Physical description | Case: Case of tabernacle form, with flat brass base and bun feet; the front, rear and hinged side-plates of silver with scrolls and foliage inset in translucent enamel. At the top, surrounded by four finials, an arcaded gallery surmounted by a moulded brass dome with a fifth finial. Dial: Chapter-ring 2.2 cm diameter, with Roman hours and half-hour marks. Simple iron hand. Movement: Running train only, with all wheels of brass. Now with a restin-barrel and a spring wound through a pair of gears, but formerly with a pulley for weight drive, and now with corresponding holes in the bottom plate. Verge escapement, steel balance-wheel with corresponding holes in the bottom plate. Verge escapement, steel balance-wheel. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Silver Gallery:
The translucent enamel plaques on the face and sides of this tiny clock are of a kind particularly associated with the Augsburg goldsmith David Altenstetter (master 1572, died 1617).(26/11/2002) |
| Object history | Received from Van Cuyck, Paris. Purchased April 20th 1864 for £20.00. |
| Association | |
| Summary | This miniature clock may have been made for a collector's cabinet, in which technical virtuosity would have been valued as much as artistic creativity. The translucent enamel plaques on the face and sides of this clock are of a kind associated with the Augsburg goldsmith David Altenstetter (master 1572, died 1617). |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 617-1864 |
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| Record created | February 9, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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