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Decorative arts

George III Balloon Clock

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Type
Decorative arts(Opens in new tab)
Date
ca. 1795
Accession number
2004.4
Maker
Thomas Weeks(Opens in new tab) (British, 1743–1834)
Dimensions
14 1/2 x 7 x 5 1/2 in. (36.8 x 17.8 x 14 cm.)
Medium
gilt gesso case with gilt metal case
Description
A portable table clock contained in a rare gilt gesso case decorated in garden implements and flowers.
Credit
The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Gift of Bernadette and William Berger.
Department
European Art
Find out more
View in the Art Museum catalog(Opens in new tab)
Restrained in form and decoration, this late Georgian clock is an essay in the neoclassical taste. Swags of drapery grace the top and bottom of the unusual gilt wood and gesso case. The fruits and flowers on the front are references to the products of time, while the motifs on either side may allude to Britain's dominion over sea and land.

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