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A bird sitting on top of an antique German clock suddenly flaps its wings, opens its beak, sticks out its tongue, and cuckoos loudly. If this were a real bird, no one would give it a second look. But, ah, this is a beautiful small hand crafted bird. And this little bird has performed this act many thousands of times over the last 200 years since the clock was first crafted by an expert craftsman.
The bird is all that remains of the city of
Strasbourg’s first clock, and it resides in the
Strasbourg
Museum.
Clocks that tick. Clocks that chime. Clocks that chirp and clocks that cuckoo. Clocks that fascinate. The range in clocks is really pretty amazing. Art Deco clocks are particularly desirable today for their interesting mechanisms and amusing forms.
Mechanical figures, like the bird were capable of all kinds of movement. They are referred to as automata, and came in all kinds of shapes like unicorns, griffins, bears, horses, parrots, lions and elephants.
What is our fascination with the antique clock? A moving object always catches the eye more readily than a fixed one. Rolling balls were added to some clocks for that very reason. A ball circulating endlessly in the center of a clock made it more eye-catching.
Another novelty is astronomical clocks. As far back as the 14th century, these clocks spoke to a fascination with the night sky by displaying the sun, moon, earth, and planets, and continually recording their positions relative to each other.
They were a source of wonder in the era before artificial light, which often makes the night sky difficult to see, especially in the city.
Skeleton clocks are another unique example. Skeleton clocks were first popularized in late-18th century
France. They used a glass dome to replace the usual clock casing. This way all the working parts were in view and could be closely examined. These beautiful antique French clocks still amaze us today.
Mystery clocks are an example of a clock that appears to have no obvious connection between the movements and dial. The pendulum often seems to swing without help.
You might see a female figure holding a free-swinging pendulum in her outstretched hand. The movement is actually in the base of the clock. The pendulum she’s holding is a dummy made to swing by a barely visible turning of the figure itself.
Wall-mounted cuckoo clocks in the shape of Swiss chalets and driven by fir-cone weights became popular in the late-19th century and are a novelty clock that remain desirable today.
Grandfather clocks awe us with their size, their beautiful cabinets, and of course the enormous pendulum. Antique clocks such as these are often handed down from generation to generation.
Condition is a significant factor in clocks. Serious collectors want clocks with original parts in working order. Over-zealous restoration reduces value considerably, and the most valuable clocks in any category are those of a famous maker.
Overall quality of design, and manufacture is important as well as the type of clock, level of sophistication, and materials used.
A constantly updated selection of fine antique clocks can be found at The Antique Clock Store.
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