Cabinet Clock
c. 1770–75
Medium
gold, agate, enamel dial, glass
Dimensions
{"overall":{"height":0.165,"width":0.089}}
Classification
Miscellaneous
Department
Decorative Art and Design
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Howard F. Stirn
Accession Number
2009.77
Tags
About this artwork
In the 1700s and early 1800s, luxurious objects such as jewelry, miniatures, snuff boxes, and vanity cases emphasized their owner’s refinement and wealth. Especially popular were small cases with clocks and moving mechanical devices that played a handful of musical tunes. James Cox, the London goldsmith responsible for this clock and case, was known for creating such tuneful surprises, although this work no longer contains such a mechanism. Its glittering surface disguises a system based on the ...