Design for a Clock
Lefebvre Manufactory, Tournai
1800â1825
Classification
timepieces & measuring devices
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1931-64-131
About this artwork
Design for a gilt table clock: a child reaches towards a seated allegorical female figure (Hope?) atop a clock face (its encasing suggesting a rock). The broken, shipwrecked hull of a sailing vessel flanks the bottom of the clock which, in turn, rests on a base decorated with bas relief of Neptune (holding a trident) riding the sea accompanied by a Triton. Flanking the frieze are decorations featuring anchors entwined with rope.