The art of clocks and watches has fascinated collectors for a long time, and there are examples and fine craftsmanship that are sold and bought for impressive scores, that would most likely impress the amateurs. Also, ancient clocks and watches are real works of art - at least most of them - and it is simply amazing to discover the care and precision that the old masters put into creating these fragile mechanisms.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will open by the end of 2007 an exhibition dedicated especially to the art and charm of old watches and clocks, drawing the examples on show from it's own rich collection of English, Dutch, French, German and Swiss horology, as old as the 16th century till the 18th. Beyond their main use - telling time - it was an age when clocks especially were regarded as highly praised examples of decorative art, used to bring more beauty to a room or piece of furniture. But these old clocks and watches are not only marked by the artistic principles and techniques of their time, but they are also witnesses and examples of the changes and evolutions in taste and style. This mechanical complicated devices also prove the varied and quick developments in the field of technical inventions in Europe.
Most of the pieces exhibited at the MET have never been seen before by the public, and many are virtually unknown even to hardcore collectors. According to organisers, this show dedicated to the "art of time" is just one of the many future occasions of discovering important chapters of art, largely uknown to the public eye.
2007-09-10
