POCKET WATCH
IN THE FORM OF A BOOK
IN THE FORM OF A BOOK
Germany, 16th century
Copper alloys, steel, mastic (?);
casting, carving, gilding
Copper alloys, steel, mastic (?);
casting, carving, gilding
The Museum's collection includes a a pocket watch shaped like a book with "pages" that can be turned to admire the figures and ornaments depicted on them and to see the details of the mechanism.
The character of the engraving and the style of the inscriptions on the dial indicate that it was made in Germany in the second half of the 16th century.
The timepiece is decorated with
carved ornaments and figures.
On the outside of the upper cover is Mercury, the god of commerce,
holding a caduceus; on the inside
is a figure in antique dress with
bound hands and feet and a ring in his hands. This is probably Polycrates,
the tyrant of Samos, with his legendary ring, about which Herodotus wrote.
On the front of the lower lid there is
a profile of the allegorical figure of Justice with a sword and scales in her hands, and on the inside there is
a scene of the Crucifixion with the Mother of God and St John the Theologian.
carved ornaments and figures.
On the outside of the upper cover is Mercury, the god of commerce,
holding a caduceus; on the inside
is a figure in antique dress with
bound hands and feet and a ring in his hands. This is probably Polycrates,
the tyrant of Samos, with his legendary ring, about which Herodotus wrote.
On the front of the lower lid there is
a profile of the allegorical figure of Justice with a sword and scales in her hands, and on the inside there is
a scene of the Crucifixion with the Mother of God and St John the Theologian.
The watchmaker – the author of the carved decoration of the clock case - undoubtedly used graphic sources.
For example, the figure of Mercury
is based on an engraving from a series of engravings made in 1528 by the German Renaissance master Georg Pencz (or Jorg Benz, Iorg Bens – there are variants of his signature on the works). The engraving on the book-timepiece from the Kremlin collection is remarkable for the quality of its workmanship, especially given the diminutiveness of its case. Mercury's figure is very close to the original engraving and is reproduced with minimal simplification of the image.
For example, the figure of Mercury
is based on an engraving from a series of engravings made in 1528 by the German Renaissance master Georg Pencz (or Jorg Benz, Iorg Bens – there are variants of his signature on the works). The engraving on the book-timepiece from the Kremlin collection is remarkable for the quality of its workmanship, especially given the diminutiveness of its case. Mercury's figure is very close to the original engraving and is reproduced with minimal simplification of the image.
A series of engravings by Georg Penz –
a typical Renaissance work dedicated to the deities of the planets (patrons of the seven days of the week) – often served as a source of inspiration for watchmakers in the second half of the 16th and 17th centuries. Yu.N. Zvezdina notes: "The engravings that best suited the decorative requirements of a product were used for many decades, even more than a century. Compositions made in the style of the previous epoch were freely reproduced in works of later styles – Mannerism and Baroque".
a typical Renaissance work dedicated to the deities of the planets (patrons of the seven days of the week) – often served as a source of inspiration for watchmakers in the second half of the 16th and 17th centuries. Yu.N. Zvezdina notes: "The engravings that best suited the decorative requirements of a product were used for many decades, even more than a century. Compositions made in the style of the previous epoch were freely reproduced in works of later styles – Mannerism and Baroque".
The combination of the Crucifixion scene, the ancient subject, the allegorical figure of Justice and the deity of the planet Mercury in the artistic decoration of the timepiece seems unusual and mysterious. While "reading" this gilded "book", we can speculate about the eventual imminent fulfilment of the judgment of God, the manifestation of God's will; the figure of the supposed Polycrates can be perceived as a symbol of the inevitability of retribution or the inexorability of fate. The goddess of justice can be associated with the hope for a fair course of existence – and in a certain way, echo the purpose of the clockwork, which ideally should also be measured and precise.