Mantel clock c. 1899

This mantel clock was designed by Josef Maria Olbrich. The clock exhibits a striking unity through its singular material: wood. The form is defined by gentle curves and clean lines, giving it both a modern sensibility and a handcrafted feel. The circle of the clock face, framed by the wood, contrasts with the ovoid cut that reveals the pendulum. Olbrich's design plays with the idea of time itself. He does this by simplifying the clock to its most essential components: the face, the hands, and the pendulum. But he challenges our conventional understanding of it through the stylized numbers on the clock face. This tension between the familiar and the slightly distorted invites us to reflect on our relationship with time. Is time a rigid structure or a fluid experience? This clock, through its form and materiality, asks us to question our assumptions.