Design for a Clock

ca. 1781–85
Not on view
This drawing of a small porcelain mantel clock was made for Prince Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen. When he was appointed governor to the Austrian Netherlands in 1781 he had a new palace built in the city of Brussels. He ordered drawings of the finest examples of Parisian furniture, to decide how best to furnish his new residence. This particular drawing is part of that group and reproduces a Sèvres porcelain clock, which must have been a very popular model at the time. Marie-Antoinette had a version in blue in her apartments at the castle of Versailles, and a similar example with a mechanism by the Master Clockmaker Charles Dutertre is kept in the department of European Sculpture and Decorative Art of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A version in green is in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and a lighter blue variant is known in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The different colors indicate that the model could likely be customized to fit the client’s preferences. This is also apparent from the oval medallion, held up by the female figure on top of the column, which is still attached in the clocks from Boston and Philadelphia and each display a different content.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Design for a Clock
  • Artist: Anonymous, French, 18th century
  • Manufactory: French, Sèvres, 18th century
  • Date: ca. 1781–85
  • Medium: Pen and black and brown ink, brush and yellow, green, gray, and rose wash
  • Dimensions: 14 3/8 x 9 5/8 in. (36.5 x 24.5 cm)
  • Classifications: Drawings, Ornament & Architecture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Raphael Esmerian, 1960
  • Object Number: 60.692.7
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.