Clock 1857 - 1860

Editor: This object, a clock made by Auguste-Emile Rinquet-Leprince, is thought to have been created sometime between 1857 and 1860. It looks as if it’s composed of metal, bronze, and perhaps a bit of stone or glass. It feels rather imposing and evokes a sense of antiquated luxury. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: This clock is fascinating in how it appropriates and recasts earlier symbolic forms. The very shape – a vase – speaks of antiquity and the Neoclassical obsession with it. We see grotesque masks near the handles that are reminiscent of ancient theaters, grotesque both as fearsome visages and comic elements. Consider how time, the very subject of the clock, is so often associated with mortality. Does the artist perhaps attempt to mitigate the fear of passing time through reference to an antique world of the arts? What do you make of the floral arrangements topping the vase? Editor: The floral arrangement feels very celebratory, almost as if it’s commemorating something. Are the Neoclassical style and those kinds of embellishments common for clocks of this period? Curator: The Neoclassical style was very fashionable for decorative arts, including clocks. And, floral motifs were incredibly popular, representing beauty, prosperity, and the fleeting nature of life, tying into that time and mortality theme. The question is: What does the artistic revival signify to the 19th-century viewer? A return to ideals or an acceptance of death and decay? Editor: It’s interesting how the same symbols can represent such different ideas depending on the context. Curator: Exactly! And this tension is what makes it endlessly fascinating to interpret art across centuries and cultures. It gives us clues about cultural attitudes, but also about persistent concerns.