Watch 1735 - 1745

Editor: Here we have George Dutens' "Watch," dating from 1735 to 1745. It's currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Being classified as sculpture is really interesting, especially given its function. I initially get a strong sense of intricate elegance, that somebody might actually wear this! What draws your eye in this piece? Curator: Oh, timepieces! Aren't they always a miniature universe trying to tell a big story? Look closer, can you feel how it plays with value? The rich green and gleaming gold shout of earthly riches but the fleeting passing of time is always whispering beneath its breath. I imagine its first owner, some powdered wig person from Versailles or London; Were they perhaps constantly checking this very piece, anxious about appointments or, God forbid, the future? Editor: It's funny you mention powdered wigs! I was trying to place myself in the time. The baroque detailing, it’s such a contrast to our disposable, digital everything today. So it being classified as sculpture… what elevates it, in your mind, beyond a functional object? Curator: I’d say the artistry transforms function into… well, into *feeling*. Imagine holding this: the weight of the gold, the cool smoothness of the enamel... Each piece has meaning, its designer inviting you into his creation. Time itself is fleeting, yes, but we strive to capture its likeness into all that we create! Is it only me who sees that Baroque exuberance mirrored even now? Editor: I think that looking closely really did let me notice things about design and status it represents. It is quite captivating, that blending of science and design and of time. Curator: See? We have to remember that with any work we face – its essence will whisper to those willing to listen, and every creator strives for more than a plain result.