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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Clock · Vase clock

Clock for a Garniture Set

Partially verified

The Clock for a Garniture Set (Cleveland Museum of Art 2020.421.1) is a decorative horological object created between 1736 and 1770. It incorporates Chinese hard-paste porcelain, gilt bronze, and enameled metal. The design features a porcelain vase form mounted upon a rectangular gilt-bronze base, which is adorned with pilasters and foliage motifs. The clock's timekeeping mechanism is integrated into the vase, utilizing rotating enameled metal bands for the hours and minutes, indicated by a gilt-bronze snake winding around the base of the vase. Gilt-bronze handles in the form of torches or thyrsi flank the porcelain body, and the assembly is capped with a gilt-bronze finial. The object measures 54 x 20.2 x 20.2 cm. It was historically intended as part of a set of vases and a clock designed for placement on a mantlepiece or furniture surface.

Front view of the Clock for a Garniture Set, showing the rotating dial bands and the snake pointer.
Front view of the Clock for a Garniture Set, showing the rotating dial bands and the snake pointer. — Cleveland Museum of Art. Rights pending — permission not yet requested. Original source

Catalogue identity

Source
orbiscollectibles.com
Category
Clock · Vase clock
Maker / attribution
Not established
Reference
Not recorded
Catalogue / lot identifier
2020.421.1
Source-reported date
1736–1770
Source-reported place
Not established

Source-reported attribution and specifications are not independent authentication. A listing does not establish present ownership, current display, availability or permission to reproduce.

Object description

Construction and Design

The clock is constructed from a variety of materials including Chinese hard-paste porcelain, which forms the central vase body. This porcelain is decorated with painted motifs, including flowers. The vase is supported by a rectangular gilt-bronze plinth and base, which features neoclassical-inspired ornamentation. The base is structured with vertical pilasters on its sides and includes perforated lattice-work panels.

A distinctive feature of the clock is its timekeeping display. Rather than traditional hands on a vertical dial, the clock utilizes rotating horizontal bands made of enameled metal. These bands indicate the time, with a gilt-bronze figure of a snake, positioned at the base of the vase, acting as the pointer. The composition is finished with gilt-bronze mounts, including acanthus leaves and laurel motifs, as well as handles shaped like torches, which are set on either side of the vase.

Evidence for this section
  • “Chinese hard-paste porcelain, gilt bronze, enameled metal”
  • “classical Greco-Roman motifs such as lion masks, acanthus and laurel leaves, and pilasters”

Horological Function and Use

The object is catalogued as a clock intended for a garniture set. Such sets, comprising a clock and accompanying vases, were designed to be displayed on large items of furniture, such as consoles or commodes, or on mantlepieces. The visual coherence of the set was achieved through the uniform application of materials across all pieces.

The mechanical aspect of the clock is integrated directly into the vase body. The time is shown through the rotation of the horizontal enameled rings behind a fixed pointer, which is creatively rendered as a snake winding upward from the base. This method of displaying time was a design choice that blended technical function with the sculptural aesthetic of the piece.

Evidence for this section
  • “A set of vases and clock, connected visually by the use of the same materials, often adorned a mantlepiece”

Provenance and Documentation

This object is part of the collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art, identified by accession number 2020.421.1. It was acquired as a gift from Horace Wood Brock. The object has been documented in published literature regarding European decorative arts from the Horace Wood Brock Collection, appearing on the cover of the 2009 publication by Clifford Ackley and others.

The museum classifies the object within its furniture and woodwork collection. The dating attributed to the object ranges between 1736 and 1770. While the physical characteristics and materials are recorded, the museum source notes that the extent to which this individual object represents a wider historical type has not been independently verified through further horological research.

Evidence for this section
  • “Cleveland Museum of Art object 2020.421.1”
  • “Clifford Ackley, et al. Splendor and Elegance: European Decorative Art and Drawings from the Horace Wood Brock Collection”
  • “Gift of Horace Wood Brock”

Open research questions

  • What is the manufacturer or clockmaker associated with this movement?
  • To what extent is the design consistent with known examples of 18th-century French garniture clocks?

Source evidence

Recorded claims and source quotations for Clock for a Garniture Set
FieldSource-reported valueSource quotation
Accession number2020.421.1“2020.421.1”
Date range1736–1770“1736–1770”
MaterialsChinese hard-paste porcelain, gilt bronze, enameled metal“Chinese hard-paste porcelain, gilt bronze, enameled metal”
Dimensions54 x 20.2 x 20.2 cm“overall: 54 x 20.2 x 20.2 cm”
Institutional holdingCleveland Museum of Art“Cleveland Museum of Art object 2020.421.1”
Mounting motifsLion masks, acanthus, laurel leaves, and pilasters“classical Greco-Roman motifs such as lion masks, acanthus and laurel leaves, and pilasters”

Visible details

  • Rotating horizontal dial rings for hours and minutes
  • Gilt-bronze snake figure serving as the time indicator
  • Gilt-bronze base with lattice-work side panels
  • Porcelain body decorated with painted floral patterns

Research qualifications

  • Specific maker of the clock movement or case is not identified in the source
  • The wider type classification requires further verification against horological references

Photograph identity and source facts were screened before import; rights clearance remains pending.

Consulted source

Clock for a Garniture Set (Cleveland Museum of Art 2020.421.1)

Reviewed 2026-11-02 · Record b360016770

Terms in this record

Glossary explanations for terms named in this object’s record.

Other vase clock records