TABLE CLOCK
Ulm, early 18th c.;
figures on the case – Augsburg, 1708-1710
Master Johann Beyer the Elder (mechanism),
Michael Hekkel (figures on the case)
Silver, steel, copper alloy, glass, mastic (?); casting, chasing, carving, turning, gilding
figures on the case – Augsburg, 1708-1710
Master Johann Beyer the Elder (mechanism),
Michael Hekkel (figures on the case)
Silver, steel, copper alloy, glass, mastic (?); casting, chasing, carving, turning, gilding
In the 17th and 18th centuries, clocks with a kind of sculptural composition became widespread.
The case – round, like a celestial sphere or in the form of a polyhedron – is placed on the shoulders of Atlas – a titan who, according to ancient myth, was once replaced by Heracles, who took his burden on his shoulders.
The case – round, like a celestial sphere or in the form of a polyhedron – is placed on the shoulders of Atlas – a titan who, according to ancient myth, was once replaced by Heracles, who took his burden on his shoulders.
The hands of the watch deserve special attention: the hour hand is made in the shape of a turtle, in keeping with the idea of the "slow" passage of time, and the minute hand is in the shape of a snake, moving sixty times faster than its neighbour.
Above the octagonal case of the clock rises the half-figure of the Chronos – the personification of time. In contrast to the tense figure of Atlas, this figure is depicted in a dynamic pose, with his wings spread behind his back and his hair fluttering.
Standing on a black-lacquered wooden base,
the titan Atlas is shackled by the incredible effort of carrying an impossible burden on his shoulders – the time itself, heavy and pitiless. In the 16th and 17th centuries, compositions on the theme of the heavy burden – the celestial sphere or time, carried by various figures – appeared in different types of art. This is quite consistent with the common Mannerist and Baroque conception of the caducity of the world and the brevity of life, likening them to the heavy burden of earthly vanity.
the titan Atlas is shackled by the incredible effort of carrying an impossible burden on his shoulders – the time itself, heavy and pitiless. In the 16th and 17th centuries, compositions on the theme of the heavy burden – the celestial sphere or time, carried by various figures – appeared in different types of art. This is quite consistent with the common Mannerist and Baroque conception of the caducity of the world and the brevity of life, likening them to the heavy burden of earthly vanity.
The Moscow Kremlin Museums’ collection includes a clock interpreted as a sculptural group with a silver-plated figure of the titan Atlas, bent under the weight, as a base.