Watch 1587 - 1597

This is a watch made by François Hubert in France sometime in the late 16th century. The watch is made of gilded brass and glass, with enameled, painted decoration. The watch can be understood within a set of historical forces. It was a period of religious war, and the French Wars of Religion were fought in the years leading up to Hubert's death. Moreover, court culture and the display of wealth were central to the time. The watch's enameled surface, with a dense pattern of botanicals and fanciful creatures, signals the patron's wealth. Such an object could have only been made for and owned by a member of the aristocracy. Historians of the decorative arts use inventories, guild records, and other documents to reconstruct the economic and social conditions that made such an object possible. Its beauty is not merely aesthetic; it is the product of specific historical forces.