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Clock, Czech Republic, 1826–1875 — view 1 of 1
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Clocks · Clock

Clock, Czech Republic, 1826–1875

DocumentedDocumented from the holding institution's catalogue record.
Maker / attribution
Unrecorded in source
Date
1826–1875
Country of origin
Czech Republic
Place
Bohemia
Object type
Clock
Materials / technique
Porcelana dura Metal Madera Tejido Pigmento
Dimensions
Altura = 62 cm Anchura = 30 cm Profundidad = 16 cmGrupo escultórico: Altura = 38 cm Anchura = 30 cmPeana: Anchura = 39 cm Profundidad = 21 cm Altura = 9,30 cmReloj: Anchura = 32 cm Altura = 30 cm
Accession / object no.
pages_Main_idt_3957_inventary_CE1_00521_table_FMUS_museum_MNC
Credit line
González Martí National Museum of Ceramics and Sumptuary Arts
Catalogue title (original)
Reloj (Spanish)

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Record summary

Held and catalogued by González Martí National Museum of Ceramics and Sumptuary Arts (object number pages_Main_idt_3957_inventary_CE1_00521_table_FMUS_museum_MNC), this is a clock, made in Bohemia, Czech Republic, dated 1826–1875. The Atlas places it in the Industrial Revolution period (1850 – 1900) of its Clocks collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: Porcelana dura Metal Madera Tejido Pigmento. Recorded dimensions: Altura = 62 cm Anchura = 30 cm Profundidad = 16 cmGrupo escultórico: Altura = 38 cm Anchura = 30 cmPeana: Anchura = 39 cm Profundidad = 21 cm Altura = 9,30 cmReloj: Anchura = 32 cm Altura = 30 cm. 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

Catalogue description from González Martí National Museum of Ceramics and Sumptuary Arts

Reloj de sobremesa de mediados del siglo XIX realizado en Bohemia. Consta de dos partes, la inferior que tiene la esfera con la maquinaria de las llamadas tipo París y está decorada con escena galante, flores en relieve y rocallas, así como en la superior, un grupo formado por una dama a caballo con su paje y un perro, de inspiración claramente medieval, característica del período historicista. Este reloj pertenece a una tipología que surge en Francia a finales del siglo XVIII, país donde se producen los más bellos ejemplares debido al auge que alcanza la industria relojera en este momento. A la perfección técnica de la maquinaria parisina se unen la construcción esmerada de la caja y la exquisitez decorativa, así como el esplendor de la porcelana de Bohemia en ese momento, fruto de la colaboración de artesanos especializados que interpretaban con el mejor gusto el concepto artístico de cada estilo. La moda exigía que en todo gabinete, despacho, salón o dormitorio, uno o más relojes completasen el mobiliario, contribuyendo así al lujo de residencias reales tanto como las pertenecientes a señores o adinerados.

Shown in the original language of the source catalogue. An editor-reviewed English translation has not yet been published; we do not publish machine translations as authoritative text.

Historical context

Industrial Revolution (1850 – 1900)

American interchangeable-parts manufacture; railroad time standards; Swiss and German factory systems.

Factory production transformed the clock into an everyday object. American makers (Seth Thomas, Ansonia, Waterbury) and German factories (Junghans, Gustav Becker, Lenzkirch) sold millions of shelf, wall and alarm clocks worldwide; France produced standardised Paris movements and carriage clocks; electric time distribution began.

Read the period in the timelineMore clocks from this periodEarlier: Precision & Scientific Horology

Atlas type guide

Domestic clocks

A clock combines four systems: a source of power (falling weight, coiled spring, or later electricity), a gear train that divides time, an escapement and oscillator that regulate it (foliot, pendulum or balance), and an indicating system of dial and hands or a bell. Its history runs from the large iron weight-driven clocks of the late thirteenth century to Renaissance spring-driven table clocks, the pendulum revolution of 1656, the factory clocks of the nineteenth century and electric and quartz clocks of the twentieth.

Domestic clocks also reflect regional furniture and decorative traditions — English longcase and bracket clocks, French pendules, Viennese regulators, Black Forest and American shelf clocks — and therefore record changing tastes as much as technical progress.

What to look for

  • How the clock is powered: weights, spring barrel, fusee, electric coil.
  • The oscillator: foliot, short pendulum, long seconds pendulum or balance.
  • Whether it strikes: hour only (count wheel) or hours and quarters (rack striking).
  • The maker or retailer's name on dial and movement, and any factory trademarks.
  • Signs of alteration — replaced dials, converted escapements, 'married' cases.

Dating clues

  • Before 1656 clocks used foliots or balances; after, most domestic clocks have pendulums.
  • Anchor escapements spread after c. 1670; minute hands became common at the same time.
  • Factory production in America and Germany transformed prices after c. 1840.

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.

Read next:Verge escapementAnchor (recoil) escapementFoliot

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