Watch 1615 - 1630

This is a gilded brass watch, created by Isaac Symms sometime in the early 17th century. At this time, the concept of time took on a new, urgent meaning, as did the status symbol of owning a portable clock. Reflect on the time and place in which Symms lived and worked; London was expanding as a global epicenter of trade and the arts, and along with it, a burgeoning merchant class. Thinkers and artists developed new theories and forms to express the changing world. Contemplate how this context informed the work of instrument makers like Symms, who suddenly found their skills in high demand among this new class of wealthy patrons. In this miniature timepiece, can we see a fusion of new money and old-world craftsmanship? Notice the engraved landscape depicting the hustle and bustle of the city. Does it evoke the feeling of a world becoming aware of its own fleeting nature?