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Source Description
This clock indicates the hours (1-24) on the main dial and the quarter hours on the lower dial. When the clock was made in 1573, minutes were not in common use (as they were hard to measure); time was usually divided into hours and quarter hours. The sides of the case were intended to be removed. On the exterior of the left panel is engraved the image of the Habsburg emperor Charles V (Caesar Carolus); the panel on the right has on the inside a sundial (for setting the clock) and a compass ("north" had to be established to read the sundial). On the exterior is engraved the figure of the Old Testament king, David.The original spring mechanism of the clock was replaced by a pendulum in the late 1600s to improve its accuracy, and at that point, balls were added to the feet to increase the height.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
8435
label
Table Clock
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
8435
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Table Clock
description
This clock indicates the hours (1-24) on the main dial and the quarter hours on the lower dial. When the clock was made in 1573, minutes were not in common use (as they were hard to measure); time was usually divided into hours and quarter hours. The sides of the case were intended to be removed. On the exterior of the left panel is engraved the image of the Habsburg emperor Charles V (Caesar Carolus); the panel on the right has on the inside a sundial (for setting the clock) and a compass ("north" had to be established to read the sundial). On the exterior is engraved the figure of the Old Testament king, David.The original spring mechanism of the clock was replaced by a pendulum in the late 1600s to improve its accuracy, and at that point, balls were added to the feet to increase the height.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
1573 (Renaissance)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Timepieces, Clocks & Watches
clocks
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
23.5
height
13
depth
13
dimensionsRaw
H: 9 1/4 × W: 5 1/8 × D: 5 1/8 in. (23.5 × 13 × 13 cm)
Source extras
reign
Charles V (AD 1500-1558)
med
gilded brass and bell metal case; gilded brass dial; steel, silver, and glass compass; iron and brass movement
creator_ids
6211
7986
collection_ids
REN
exhibition_ids
none
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
3b8ba154e5223857