Watch

ca. 1630–40

Not on view

The association of Possdorffer with the superb Swiss clockmaker Jobst Bürgi (1552–1632) during a period when both worked in Prague for Prince Karl I of Liechtenstein (1569–1627) undoubtedly provided the opportunity for the transmission of the technical secrets of Bürgi's cross-beat escapement from Prague to Dresden. There, Possdorffer made a watch with a cross-beat escapement, which probably made it one of the most accurate portable timekeepers until the invention of the balance spring. The watch is now in the Grünes Gewölbe in Dresden. The Metropolitan Museum's watch has an ordinary verge escapement, and with an enameled dial that registers hours and half hours only, it is remarkable more for its tiny size than for its accuracy. The rock crystal cover is a replacement.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Watch
Maker: Watchmaker: Johann Possdorfer (German, active Prague and Dresden, recorded 1620–24)
Date: ca. 1630–40
Culture: German, Dresden
Medium: Case: rock crystal and gold; Movement: gilded brass and steel, partly blued
Dimensions: Overall: 1 1/4 × 7/8 in. (3.2 × 2.2 cm)
Classification: Horology
Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Object Number: 17.190.1525
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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