Wall clock of ebonised wood, painted en grisaille , signed 'Lewis F Day 1879'. Designed by Lewis F. Day, British 1879

V&A — Summary

Lewis F. Day, the writer and critic, was also a commercial designer, working on commission for manufacturers of wallpapers, textiles, tiles, ceramics, furniture and clocks. Most of his clocks were intended to stand on shelves or brackets, but he designed this clock to hang on a wall. The figure of the shepherd below the clock face and that of the fowler, or hunter of wild birds, above, are from Day's series of designs showing country trades, which he also used for tiles. The two female figures may represent Moonlight on the left and Sunlight on the right. Their draped gowns, the Japanese-inspired decoration on the centre of the clock face, and the design of the ebonised case, are characteristic of the Aesthetic style, very fashionable in 1879 when the clock was made.

V&A — Physical description

Wall mounted clock, the central projecting section with the clock face painted with a sunrise or sunset over the ocean, four quarters of the moon and stars; either side of the clock face is an upright panel of a female figure in a draped gown; above and below the clock face are oblong panels with male recument figures, 'The Fowler' above the face and 'The Shepherd' below; incised decoration and shaped mouldings frame the clock face and figures.

V&A — Historical context

Day's figurative and decorative designs were used for tiles, for ceramics and as decorative panels for furniture and clocks. His series of panels showing different country trades or occupations included 'The Woodman', 'The Husbandman', 'The Angler', and 'The Fisherman' as well as 'The Fowler' and 'The Shepherd' on this clock. Day's designs for these two male figures on the clock were illustrated in a periodical, The Architect , vol. 17, 1877, p. 230, with the female figure on the right of the clock face which was described as 'Looking'. However, Day's designs were sufficiently versatile for him to use the two female figures on the clock face for his designs for a pair of vases shown at the Paris Exhibition in 1878 by Howell & James. The figure looking up was described as 'Sunlight' and the figure looking down as 'Moonlight'.

V&A — Object history

This wall clock, signed and dated 1879, is one of two known examples of this design by Day. He designed many small clocks intended to stand on brackets or shelves but this appears to be his only design for a wall clock. The maker of the clock is not known but many of Day's clock designs were retailed by Howell & James of Regent Street, London, who may have included this wall clock among their stock. The male figure above the clock face depicts 'The Fowler', or wild-fowler, and that below shows 'The Shepherd'. The two female figures may represent 'Sunlight' on the right of the clock face and 'Moonlight' on the left, based on contemporary descriptions of similar figures Day designed for a pair of vases shown at the Paris Exhibition of 1878. The other example of this wall clock, sold by Blairman & Sons to a private collector in New York in 2007, has a different arrangement of the figures, with 'The Shepherd' at the top and 'The Fowler' at the bottom. The female figures are also reversed. The figure of 'The Shepherd' is monogrammed with Day's initials.