watch-case
- Museum number
- 1874,0718.4
- Description
-
Case for stackfreed watch in form of book.
- Production date
- 17thC (?)
- Dimensions
-
Length: 47.50 millimetres
-
Width: 31.50 millimetres
- Curator's comments
- Comment from Hugh Tait, Catalogue of Watches in the British Museum. Vol. I (1987)
Maker Unknown; probably German, perhaps 17th century
Case for a Book Watch
Back: plain, a shallow chamfered indentation on the three outer edges; two rounded corners; pierced with winding hole.
Band: four-sided: (a) the 'spine' is undecorated except for two raised bands forming the hinges for the lid and back, (b) the other three sides are engraved with thin close lines to suggest the leaves of the book; pendant ring in the middle of upper side missing.
Lid: shallow chamfered indentation on the three outer edges; plain, except for central 'rose-window' pattern; pierced with twelve oval holes; the bars separating the holes have small cross-pieces.
Dial: engraved on the dial-plate, chapters I-XII and 13-24; touch-pins; no hand; rest of dial-plate plain except for two scribed lines framing extreme edge.
Dimensions: 47.5 x 31.5 mm.
Provenance: Lady Fellows Bequest, 1874.
Note:
This very worn example has been regarded as a more convincing item than the other book watch in the museum's collection (registration no. 1958,1201.2233); there is some evidence to show that it once contained a movement; there are two holes for the latches but little sign of wear at the winding hole.
The existence of faked book-watches based on the genuine example in the Musée du Louvre (dated 1583, punched with the town-mark of Speyer and bearing the name of the maker, Hans Schniep) has already been discussed - see registration no. 1958,1201.2213 (p. 46) where a reference is given to the most recent publication on the subject: 'Manieristisches Kunstgewerbe' by Klaus Maurice and Christian Pfeiffer-Belli, in 'Alte Uhren' (July 1983). This survey, however, tends to adopt a less critical approach to the problem of faking in this area than the evidence would seem to justify.
Bibliography: 'Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of Works of Art . . . at the South Kensington Museum', June 1862, rev. edn, London, 1863, no. 7523.
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- Latest: 2 (1993)
- Acquisition date
- 1874
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1874,0718.4