Horlogekast met de Heilige Familie rustend onderweg naar Egypte c. 1650 - 1676

Editor: Here we have a print from the Rijksmuseum collection titled "Clock Case with the Holy Family resting on the Flight to Egypt," made sometime between 1650 and 1676 by an anonymous artist. It’s an engraving, very detailed despite being small. The composition looks like a study sheet for ornamentation. What’s your interpretation of this piece, in particular the purpose behind these ornate design elements? Curator: This engraving sings to me of hidden rhythms and the dance between the sacred and the everyday. Look closely at the juxtaposition of the central scene—a tender, human moment of rest for the Holy Family—with the ornamental borders. Do you notice how the floral and geometric motifs almost cage the circular vignette, elevating it from mere narrative to something precious and enshrined? It hints that even ordinary objects like clocks could be imbued with sacred meaning. Editor: I see what you mean about “enshrined.” The design really boxes in that central scene! But what was the inspiration for placing religious iconography on a clock? Curator: Think about it—time itself has often been associated with mortality, but also with the eternal. Putting a scene of the Holy Family on a clock suggests a Christian influence or worldview of the cycle of time as tied to the divine, as being governed by divine will. How does that interplay between the mundane clock and sacred narrative strike you? Editor: It's almost like a devotional object…something to contemplate each time you check the time. It really blurs the lines between the practical and the spiritual. Curator: Precisely! It turns a simple clock into a vessel for reflection, a tiny portal to a larger story. Perhaps the owner finds comfort in the divine amidst the fleetingness of time. Editor: This engraving’s got more depth than I expected! Now I can appreciate these details as storytelling elements themselves! Curator: It's lovely when the art reveals something more when you really begin to *look*.