Clock
Retailer
Tiffany & Company
(American, founded 1837)
Case by
Meissen
(German, founded 1708)
Datelate 19th Century
MediumCeramic with blue and white decoration outlined in gold
DimensionsOverall: 15 1/2 × 7 1/2 × 5 1/2in. (39.4 × 19.1 × 14cm)
ClassificationsT&E FOR TIMEKEEPING
Credit LineEstate of Sarah T. Norris
Terms
Object number73.49
DescriptionDresden clock; blue and white deco/goldOn View
Not on viewCollections
Copyright<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.
Label TextTiffany & Company retailed this mantel clock in the United States, but the case is the work of the celebrated Meissen (Germany) porcelain manufactory, the oldest and most well established porcelain manufactory in Europe. The case design incorporates architectural elements and neoclassical grotesques that reference classical antiquity, the Italian Renaissance, and Baroque design.
Such a distinctly European clock conveys the worldly, urbane attitude that wealthy Americans valued at the turn of the twentieth century. Meissen's well-established name and the decorative motifs dating back to classical antiquity convey tradition and old wealth, qualities for which newly wealthy American families strove.
