Mantel Clock c. 1938

This 'Mantel Clock' was made with watercolour by Francis Law Durand. The piece has a stillness to it, as though time itself is holding its breath. The way Durand’s built up the surface, with thin washes that pool and settle, gives it a kind of luminosity. The wood grain, rendered with such care, feels almost tactile. You can see the grain moving in vertical bands across the surface of the wood, with a very slight change in tone to create an impression of dimensionality. It’s almost as if the clock is alive, breathing softly. The decoration is subtle, giving the piece a kind of understated elegance. What I love most about this clock is how it freezes time, not just in its subject matter, but in the very act of its making. Like the clocks in a Giorgio de Chirico painting, they share a stillness and sense of expectation.