Clock 1810 - 1835

Curator: Oh, this is so interesting. To me, it feels like a memento mori, draped in finery but relentlessly ticking. It's exquisitely made, of course, but it still gives me the shivers. Editor: It’s an intriguing reaction. We're looking at a decorative clock made between 1810 and 1835, now held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. What informs that sense of dread, I wonder? Curator: Well, it's time, isn't it? And the way it's dressed up. Look at the figure leaning against the clock face, serene and timeless while perched above the hands relentlessly marking the passage of moments. It's as though time has brought itself an unamused companion. Editor: I see your point about the symbolic tension between stillness and movement. This Neoclassical clock presents the idea of temporality, mortality even, as a refined cultural object. Think about the era; such decorative objects were intended for a very specific domestic space. They weren't just functional, they were status symbols that communicated wealth and taste. Curator: Status certainly doesn't dispel the morbid thoughts, however ornate the package. Notice that there's a sculpture of Cupid nesting within a large rose—as though the clockmakers wished to further illustrate that even beauty cannot hold the Grim Reaper’s scythe at bay. Editor: It seems a bit cynical to ascribe to our craftsman feelings of impending doom! In fact, these are common allegorical symbols of mortality and love combined, often deployed to encourage virtuous choices and a prudent attitude towards the future, presented via decorative arts. After all, clocks of this size dominated mantelpieces and halls, silently overseeing domesticity, as it were, for wealthy families of the time. Curator: Perhaps… but the silence makes it all the creepier for me. That still figure watching as my time slips through my fingers! What's more sinister than that? Editor: On that somewhat ominous note, let us consider that even objects so seemingly banal as clocks reveal grand cultural and temporal narratives that are deeply relevant even to us. Curator: Even in the age of the smartphone, yes, still relentlessly counting down!