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"Balloon" Shelf Clock

Simon Willard American
1780–90
Not on view
Simon Willard experimented with the production of economical, 30-hour shelf clocks for the mass market and obtained patents that were widely pirated by his contemporaries. This shelf clock is an exceedingly rare form, being the sole example with a brass dial signed by Simon Willard. The unusual balloon-shaped case bears similarities to eighteenth-century, French bracket clocks. Folklore associated with this clock perpetuated the myth that Willard may have taken inspiration from the first successful ascension of a hot-air balloon launched in France, in 1783, by brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier. Willard’s direct influence by this historic event remains unconfirmed.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: "Balloon" Shelf Clock
  • Maker: Simon Willard (1753–1848)
  • Date: 1780–90
  • Geography: (none assigned) Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Mahogany, pine; brass, iron, steel, lead, synthetic cord (modern)
  • Dimensions: 29 3/4 × 12 3/4 × 4 1/2 in. (75.6 × 32.4 × 11.4 cm)
  • Credit Line: Sansbury-Mills and Richard Hampton Jenrette American Funds, 2023
  • Object Number: 2023.304a–c
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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