Movements & Components · Clock case
Clock case, jasperware, applied reliefs, Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, Barlaston, late 20th century
- Maker / attribution
- Josiah Wedgwood and Sons (manufacturers)
- Date
- late 20th century
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Place
- Barlaston
- Object type
- Clock case
- Materials / technique
- Jasperware, applied relief
- Dimensions
- Height: 120 mm; Width: 105 mm (at base); Depth: 40 mm (at base)
- Holding institution
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Accession / object no.
- WE.14488-2014
- Credit line
- V&A Wedgwood Collection. Presented by Art Fund with major support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, private donations and a public appeal.
Record summary
Held and catalogued by Victoria and Albert Museum, London (object number WE.14488-2014), this is a clock case by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, made in Barlaston, dated late 20th century. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Movements & Components collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: Jasperware, applied relief. Recorded dimensions: Height: 120 mm; Width: 105 mm (at base); Depth: 40 mm (at base). The record is illustrated with 1 photograph.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
V&A — Physical description
Clock case, green jasperware with white applied relief; domed shape, front with circular perforation for clock insert, beneath perforation is a white applied relief decoration depicting a putti playing a violin, with other putti dancing to the music played, either side of case with white relief of classical female figures, top of case with a floral relief, the reverse has a depressed circle.
Inscriptions & marks
WEDGWOOD' / 'MADE IN ENGLAND' / 'BH' / 'R' (impressed on the back) / '07' (impressed on the base)
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz modules with stepping motors and integrated circuits replaced mechanical movements in most watches and clocks.
Read the period in the timelineMore movements & components from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
Atlas type guide
Cases, keys and accessories
Clock and watch cases protect the movement and express taste and status. Watch cases were made by separate specialist case-makers whose marks, along with assay hallmarks, help to date and place them. Clock cases were the work of cabinet-makers, bronze founders, ceramic factories and silversmiths, so they belong as much to the history of decorative arts as to horology.
Keys, chatelaines, watch stands, watch papers and winding tools are part of the material culture of timekeeping: they show how timepieces were worn, displayed, wound and maintained.
What to look for
- Case maker's sponsor's marks and assay hallmarks in gold and silver cases.
- Materials: shagreen, tortoiseshell, enamel, porcelain, jasperware, gilt bronze.
- Breguet-style ratchet keys, crank keys and watch-key fobs.
- Engraved names, presentations and dates.
Dating clues
- English hallmark date letters allow exact dating of the case assay.
- Porcelain cases from Meissen and Sèvres: mostly eighteenth century.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
Related records
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Clock, Jasperware with applied reliefs and brass, Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, Etruria, ca.1880
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Clock, Jasperware with applied reliefs and metal and glass, Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, Stoke on Trent, 20th century (V&A WE.15628-2014)
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Movements & Components · late 20th century
Clock case, jasperware, Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, Barlaston, late 20th century
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Movements & Components · late 20th century
Clock case, jasperware, moulding, Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, Barlaston, late 20th century
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Clock case, jasperware, moulding, Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, Barlaston, late 20th century (V&A WE.16210-2014)
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Clock case, jasperware, moulding, Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, Barlaston, late 20th century (V&A WE.16211-2014)
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