Marking the passage of time - a unifying constant
Marking the passage of time- a unifying constant
by Rosei Frost
There are few things that unite early civilisations globally, but an innate instinct to measure time would certainly be high on the list. Early civilisations from Egyptians to Mesopotamians, Olmec to Babylonian, have demonstrated the need to measure time using a range of methods, shadow casting, sundials and water clocks to name a few. These early methods were well utilised over thousands of years and timekeeping as we recognise it didn’t arrive until the 1400’s. Despite advances in technology (and many of us relying on our smart phones/watches for time keeping), clocks and watches will be unlikely to be superseded as the need for reliable, (and incorruptible), time is a global and universal need.
The emergence of a single owner collection of timepieces always promises to be exciting. When the collection has been curated by two generations, dating back to the early 20thC, it makes it unique. The collection began with Henry Potter Stevens, a prominent chemist who published several academic books on rubber. His work allowed him to travel world-wide extensively and a natural 'curator-minded' instinct for quality, craftsmanship and importance led to him collecting a multitude of objects, many of which were included in a Sotheby's sale in 1966 following his death. He was also a well-regarded painter exhibiting at The Royal Academy, Grosvenor, Redfern and Colnaghi. His son, Humfrey would accompany his father to auctions and thus the tradition of collecting was handed down. Their expertise, knowledge and dedication mean that each lot has been prodigiously sourced over a period of hundred years, from around the world.
TW Gaze are delighted to be bestowed the honour of selling the collection that spans four hundred years.
The Renaissance period was a time of extravagances, exploration and innovation. The wealthy displayed their collections in Wunder and Kunstkammers whose collections would go on to form the basis of what we now refer to as museums. Augsburg became one of Germany’s largest cities and its wealth had been created by manufacturing, including gold smithing. The city had a well-established reputation for clock-making but the result of the collaboration between clockmakers and goldsmiths can be seen in the range of different automatons produced in the first half of the seventeenth century. Many had bronzed figures, created by goldsmiths, surmounting a clock base. The base links to the figure and the movement of the clock corresponds to the automaton. Thus, in one object, it showcases the skill and craftsmanship of two industries.
The example in our ‘Clocks & Watches Through the Ages’ sale on the 4th March was made by Jacob Van Kress. Little is known about this early clock maker except for the few examples of his work that have survived. The rampant lion automaton was clearly a popular design, the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection holds a similar example.
An unusual rarity included in the sale is an Italian night clock. These clocks feature a pierced clock face with a void behind, this allows a candle to be placed in the recess and the numbers to be illuminated. These were reputedly popularised following Pope Alexander VII requesting a ‘silent’ clock that could be read at night. The Campani brothers devised the concept and for the next fifty years they, and a variety
of other clockmakers, produced night clocks for wealthy patrons. The night clock up for auction on the 4th is housed in an ebonised case decorated with gilt metal mounts and depicts a hand painted image of Daphne and Apollo. In the Greek myth, Apollo pursued Daphne after being struck by one of Cupid's arrows. Daphne sought help from her river god father, and he transformed her into a laurel bush. In this depiction her hands are turning into branches and leaves sprouting from her head.
Amongst the outstanding older and important clocks is a lot which reflects a small slice of local history. Two pocket watch movements by Lorenz Beha of Norwich, a travelling watchmaker and jeweller who had a shop in St Stephen’s Plain. The movements are typical, but Beha was the victim of a grisly 19thC highway murder that was reported nationally in contemporary newspapers. His murderer was tried and hung on Castle Hill, Norwich on the 8th April 1854. As Beha was only 28 when he was brutally murdered with a hatchet, examples of his work are scarce.
