232 - Anonymous - Cercles Tournants

Anonymous - Cercles Tournants An important Augsburg or Nuremberg Renaissance clock in the shape of a vase, with an hour strike and stackfreed—a rare example of a type of clock that was later called "cercles tournants" Dimensions: 340 mm, circa 1580, Origin: Southern Germany Case: Fire-gilt bronze and silver, elaborately engraved and chased, partly openwork, bell. Dial: Ball with chapter ring. Movement: Round fire-gilded brass full-plate movement, florally engraved barrel for the striking train, iron train, 1 hammer, locking plate with internal teeth and control dial for the strike, verge escapement, stackfreed, foliot, hog’s bristle regulator. The fire-gilded and chased clock case consists of two parts and rests on a round base. It is richly decorated with volutes and acanthus leaves. The two lateral volute bows with small finials exemplify the transitional style from the Renaissance to the Baroque. A large resonating bell is located in the lower part of the case, while the movement, which extends into the bell, is housed in the upper part. The movement features a verge escapement with a fixed mainspring barrel for the striking mechanism, as well as a stackfreed and a balance wheel. It is also equipped with a bristle regulator featuring an adjustable scale. The wheels are made of iron, and the plates and pillars are crafted from fire-gilded brass. A shaft extends upward from the hour wheel to a globe divided into a day side and a night side. The day side is gilded, and the night side is silvered. Roman numerals are engraved on both halves of the hour dial. A small putto, reclining on a skull, indicates the hours with his staff. At the top of the clock is the figure of Judith holding the severed head of Holofernes. This vase clock was part of the renowned collection of Dr. Bodong of Frankfurt. After his death, it was auctioned on June 14 and 15, 1938, at Hans W. Lange’s auction house in Berlin as lot number 537. Clocks in the form of vases are among the rarest examples of late Renaissance horology; the exact total number is unknown. Presumably, only a few individual pieces have survived, mostly from southern German centers such as Augsburg or Nuremberg. Today, they are predominantly found in museums and formerly princely collections. To come across a piece of this kind on the open market is an exceptional stroke of luck. An early vase clock with an hourly strike and a movement bearing the hallmark “CR” within a shield is housed in the Kirschgarten Museum in Basel. Another vase clock with hourly and half-hourly chimes on a case bell and signed “Stefen Bat Foit von Clausemborg aus Siebenbirgen 1600” was auctioned at Ineichen in Zurich in 1998. Another vase clock with hourly striking from Augsburg, dating from around 1600 and bearing the hallmark “CK” (presumably Konrad Kreitzer), is housed in the Württemberg State Museum in Stuttgart. Around 1600, vase-shaped clocks were part of clockmakers’ repertoire. While most examples featured a classic round dial and hands, clockmakers in Augsburg in particular developed a special variant of this type: Instead of the conventional dial, a rotating time display was introduced—a feature that would later become known as “Cercles Tournants.” The design of the time display is characteristic. Unlike clocks from later centuries, where the dial band wraps directly around the vase’s body, here—as with figural clocks—a sphere with a surrounding dial displays the time. It rests on the rim of the upper part of the case and is connected to the body by elaborately decorated handles. The dial sphere is encircled by an ornamental band, atop which a figure or animal is crowned. All known examples can be traced to Nuremberg and Augsburg, or to southern Germany, and date to around 1600. With their combination of technical sophistication, unusual design, and figurative ornamentation, they impressively illustrate the experimental spirit of early modern horology. They unite the highest level of craftsmanship with the aesthetic sensibility of an era when timepieces were still objects of art and expressions of princely prestige. This vase clock is intended for collectors seeking something special: a rare, museum-quality object of historical significance that combines craftsmanship, science, and the beauty of the Renaissance. Case: very good, slightly rubbed. Dial: very good. Movement: very good, scratched, repaired, in working order, cleaning recommended.