Beautiful gold and bronze pendulum clocks not only tell time but also depict sculptures of Greek and Roman mythology, American Indians, and African figures. The symbolism of the figures is explained to reflect nearly-lost allegories that were well known 150 years ago. Over 200 color and many black and white photos display these fabulous clocks. An important additional feature is a visual directory of 1365 bronze clocks with bibliographic references that will hertofore make researching the field much more efficient.
The 4th Marquess of Hertford had a passion for clocks, collecting them in both Paris and London. Most were kept in his apartment in the rue Laffitte, but several, acquired in England, were part of the furnishings of Hertford House, notably the monumental astronomical clock. Despite the elaborate movement of the latter, Lord Hertford, like the French eighteenth-century noblemen whose tastes he so often shared, bought his clocks for the artistry of their cases, whether in Boulle marquetry, gilt and patinated bronze, gilt bronze and marble, Sevres porcelain, lapis lazuli, tulipwood or ebony. His taste in clocks was supremely that of a collector for whom time itself did not matter. All the eighteenth-century clocks and barometers formerly owned by the Marquess and now in the Wallace Collection are featured in this book. For each clock a description of the case and movement is provided, along with details of the work of the clockmakers, cabinetmakers, bronze founders and gilders. There are full-page colour illustrations of each clock, accompanied by details in black and white of the movements and photographs of comparable clocks. Essays on clock cases and on clock movements and barometers put the Marquess's collection in its historical context, while a glossary and diagrams provide technical details. Of great interest to historians of the decorative arts and to horologists, the book will also appeal to anyone with a love of French art of the eighteenth century.
Among the finest examples of European craftsmanship are the clocks produced for the luxury trade in the eighteenth century. The J. Paul Getty Museum is fortunate to have in its decorative arts collection twenty clocks dating from around 1680 to 1798: eighteen produced in France and two in Germany. They demonstrate the extraordinary workmanship that went into both the design and execution of the cases and the intricate movements by which the clocks operated. In this handsome volume, each clock is pictured and discussed in detail, and each movement diagrammed and described. In addition, biographies of the clockmakers and enamelers are included, as are indexes of the names of the makers, previous owners, and locations.
"In Galison's telling of science, the meters and wires and epoxy and solder come alive as characters, along with physicists, engineers, technicians and others . . . Galison has unearthed fascinating material." ("New York Times").
