Zilveren horloge c. 1840 - 1900

Curator: This is a photograph of a silver watch made between 1840 and 1900, here at the Rijksmuseum. Its maker was known as Samson. Editor: Its patina really grabs me; it speaks of use and time's inevitable effect on objects and perhaps even the fleeting nature of the moments it once measured. Curator: Yes, the wear tells its own story. Consider the material—silver, relatively soft and easily worked, indicative of the intricate detailing around the face. These are products of laborious handcraft, marking this watch's value in labor time, not merely as a functional tool but as a status symbol and testament to Samson's skill. Editor: Agreed, yet consider how its design blends the decorative and the functional. The engraving encircling the face serves no practical purpose other than visual enrichment. It’s romantic in its own way, juxtaposing the ephemeral nature of time with the object’s physical presence. The form emphasizes function. Curator: Indeed, Romanticism influenced design choices. And that photography flattens the watch emphasizes its presence and historical context within systems of production, class, and craftsmanship, wouldn't you say? Editor: Certainly. But looking at the curves, the gleam despite the wear—that single suspended ring— it's visually pleasing because it holds and contains all the components into a single cohesive and unified whole. Its components each emphasize and reinforces the visual harmony as one views this artifact. Curator: We tend to imbue such artifacts with great meaning now, beyond what was conceived in its creation; an item of personal significance now preserved as a relic of its own time. Editor: Perhaps, but in the end, this image of the object—that romantic patina—still has a certain undeniable beauty, in a classically composed design.