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German Clocks
Germany was the first leading clockmaking center for European clocks. During the peak period of German clockmaking in the sixteenth century clocks were spring-driven and typically the cases were made from metal that was gilded. A popular style of clock of this period was square in shape with a horizontal dial on the top for indicating the time. The sides of these gilded cases often featured cast or engraved ornamentation in a decorative pattern. In general, after 1620 most clock cases were engraved.
Church themes were of great importance during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The most complex clocks of the period were tabernacle clocks that resembled church structures resplendent with spires and finials. These clocks had a dial on each vertical surface to indicate not only the time of day but, for example, the quarter hour, the phases of the moon, and a calendar of major saints feast days. In the late 1600's to the present, the Black Forest region of Germany also became a major clockmaking center with the hand carved cuckoo clock. |
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