Spring-Driven Clock c. 1715

Editor: This is Daniel Quare’s Spring-Driven Clock from the late 17th or early 18th century. It's impressively decorated. What do you see when you look at this piece? Curator: It's not just a clock; it's a reliquary of time itself! Notice how the silver ornamentation speaks to a period obsessed with order. The very act of measuring time became a symbolic endeavor. Do you see any repetition of motifs or patterns? Editor: Now that you mention it, there's floral imagery repeated. Curator: Precisely! These motifs often represented prosperity and even eternal life. Time, then, wasn’t just about marking hours, but about humanity’s place in the cosmos, and the hope for continued existence. Editor: I hadn't considered it like that. It's a powerful symbol of hope. Curator: Indeed, objects like these tell us just as much about cultural memory as they do about horology.