Automaton clock in the form of the Madonna and Child

Clockmaker: Nikolaus Schmidt the Elder German

ca. 1620–25

Not on view

Automaton clocks are related to the mechanized figures that adorned medieval clock towers, where the Madonna and Child could appear as part of a mechanical theater on feast days. Small domestic automata with religious themes were popular in the seventeenth century and versions of this model, like many of the period, were cast in quantity. Here, the Madonna’s crown functions as a clock dial and her scepter points to the hour.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Automaton clock in the form of the Madonna and Child
Maker: Clockmaker: Nikolaus Schmidt the Elder (German, ca. 1550–1630)
Date: ca. 1620–25
Culture: German, Augsburg
Medium: Case: gilded brass, silver, and ebony veneered on oak; Movement: brass and iron
Dimensions: Overall: 12 1/2 × 6 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. (31.8 × 16.5 × 11.4 cm)
Classification: Horology
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Simon Guggenheim, 1929
Object Number: 29.52.13
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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