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Watch

Case maker: Attributed to Christian Gottlieb Stiehl German
ca. 1770–80
Not on view
This watchcase displays a technique of setting hardstones in gold that is usually associated with Johann Christian Neuber (1736–1808) of Dresden, although it was probably inspired by enameled gold watchcases made in Paris a few years earlier. Stiehl, who held appointments to Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony (1670–1733), and his successor, Augustus III (1696–1763), is known for his floral designs, which are freer and less geometric than Neuber’s. The movement may also have been made in Dresden. P.J. Marperger, author of Horologiographia (Dresden, 1723), a book on the watch and clock market in Germany, wrote that “some important people . . . simply cannot appreciate anything that does not come from France or England.” He advocated a heavy tax on foreign clocks and watches in addition to allowing accredited (meaning German) clockmakers to engrave London or Geneva on their dials.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Watch
  • Maker: Case maker: Attributed to Christian Gottlieb Stiehl (German, 1708–1792)
  • Date: ca. 1770–80
  • Culture: probably German, Dresden
  • Medium: Case: gold, inlaid with hardstones
  • Dimensions: Diameter: 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm)
  • Classification: Horology
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.190.1567
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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