-Pocket Watch- still bank c. 20th century

This anonymous still bank, in the shape of a pocket watch, sits here in gold. I imagine someone pouring molten metal, shifting and solidifying. Trial, error, and intuition, just like painting! I sympathize with the artist; I can imagine them holding the object, turning it over, feeling the weight of gold in their hands. Was it cold or hot? The watch's surface is carefully worked, engraved with botanical flourishes that spiral outwards. A vacant gold circle sits at the watch's center. It seems to be where the time should be! Like so many painters, this anonymous artist plays with the relationship between surface and depth, emptiness and fullness. The watch's design is an ongoing conversation with artists from different times and places. It reminds us how art inspires creativity across time, inviting multiple interpretations rather than fixed readings.