Peace 1776 - 1794

These three clock garnitures were made by Dihl et Guérhard in France out of porcelain. Porcelain is a high-status material, because the processes required to produce it are so demanding. It has to be fired at extremely high temperatures, and the white color is achieved only through careful control of the kiln. The forms of these objects were probably made using molds, and the finishing would have been done by hand. What you see here is a complex social equation: the relative mechanization of porcelain production enabling these forms to be made in multiples, combined with the careful modeling and finishing of the sculptural elements. The neoclassical forms themselves also had a social significance, referencing the virtues of the ancient world. So this is not just a clock, but a statement piece, designed to evoke a sense of cultivated good taste. The amount of work involved, from the extraction of the clay to the final product, tells us a lot about the politics of production in this period.