Horological Meandering

Do you have any horology-related 'art' around the house?  Framed Rolex adverts (Jocke); paintings (are you reading this, Tassos?); sketches (where's Doc and his Greubel Forsey?); others?

I was recently very excited to find some copper-engraved plates from a horology book entitled "Clocks, Watches and Chronometers", published by Longman, Hurst, Rees and Orme in 1819. The original drawings were done by J. Farey Jnr. and the copper-plate engravings by Wilson Lowry between 1806 and 1819. The full set consisted of 49 engravings and it's great to think that this might have been something that A.L. Breguet, Antide Janvier or A.L. Perrelet had on the shelf in their Atelier.

And now it looks great on the wall in my study ...

Andrew

.... so good, indeed, that you are almost forgiven for cannibalising the book set.

Figure 6 looks fascinating, but did you note the name over Figure 3?

Cheers,
pplater.

Yes, it's great to see some familiar names. Unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to buy the entire book. The seller only had a handful of pages from the original book. Still, I stumbled upon it unexpectedly and given the direct historical connection I was pretty chuffed.

Andrew

I have watch art in my office courtesy of Lange -- it's their large-scale calendar from last year that I won in a contest on the forum.  The macros of their gorgeous watches are absolutely horological art of the highest caliber!    Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find the photos at the moment.  Too many albums in my Picasa account!

Cheers,
Daos

Those are some wonderful old escapement drawings you have there. Glad to hear no intact books were harmed in the making of this post. Looks great on your wall.

It's a coincidence that you should post these now - I was looking at some prints of various escapements for framing just a few days ago. These ones were by David Penney, the illustrator of Daniels 'Watchmaking'.

grumio

And I am looking forward to the reprint of Watchmaking as well. A nice frame adds a lot to the appearance of such prints, so that sounds like a great move.

Andrew

I have been wanting something to hang on the wall. The closest was the one Daos mentioned - Lange calendar, but they decided NOT to re-use the frame this year or next (yeah, management change, etc....). Other than that, I got a photo book called "Movement" which includes pages and pages of famous time pieces and that COULD be framed if I so desire.... but not yet

Your drawings of those parts looks something really special and the room looks really like a watch nut (excuser moi!) and I would like that....

Ken

Hi Ken,

Mocafico's images would look great framed. I suppose buying a second copy of Movement to frame is a reasonable investment.

I wonder if they sold high quality prints at the time of the original gallery showing? That would have been superb, particularly if they were signed.

Andrew

The question is, which pages to frame

I don't know how the original gallery showing.  Maybe I will ask/email the publisher or the artist himself.  If I got any feedback ever, I will report back!

 

Ken

It's worth a try.

I have read that the quality of the printing and images varied in different print runs. And that the quality was higher in the catalogue printed for the exhibition. I haven't see any side-by-side to confirm.

Good luck and report back!

Andrew

I have no watch art, but I do have music art (my other pastime).

Magali gave me a nice autograph on my Amvox I and II papers... With a nice sketch.

I am also trying to get a technical draw of my Master Minute Repeater.

To be followed.

Best,

Nicolas

Nothing like a direct connection to the designer or maker. I am shore you will share the finished product with us.

Congratulations.

Andrew

This message has been edited by amanico on 2010-10-24 22:25:01

. . . lies plate XXXV . . .

. . . on my desk.

Thank you, Andrew . . . warmest regards, Art

My pleasure, Art, and it looks great. Nice how they brought out the silver tones in the framing. Also nice to be able to thank you with something horologically and historically meaningful.

Enjoy.

A

then and of course many examples earlier and later were done hand-helped by the drawing instruments of their time, then transfered to copper plates for engraving and reproduction. Perhaps some were even etched directly onto the original copper plates - as did many supervised works (from the real artist) from other generes, cultures and eras,

They are not artists in the strictest sense of the word, but craftsmen, and these are not art works but served as documentation for books about proposed solutions for a solution to a common problem - that of improvability with regard to the accuracy and reliability of timekeeping as of that time and age: how to build a better cllock or watch, while observing and finding a different direction to those confined to the restrictions of a patent. The makers of large clocks were ever ingenious, and so we hope, in a friendly competition, apart from commercial or war time efforts, to reach a common goal - that of making better clocks and watches (timekeepers) for all to appreciate and enjoy, and - most important of all - to be practically useful.

Not just delicacies for an exclusive, well-endowed public!

Today we have every imaginable and even more unimaginable kinds of computer graphics.

It is good that many of these older pieces were rescued from long forgotten or damaged books, even if the photo-reproductions are not made directly from the original plates. At least thing for the Net: they make it accessible to a broader public than to qualified and specialized visitors to a library: in your neighborhood - unlikely.

There is so much inspiring - even beautiful - to be seen, and gleaned from, the technical drawings of any historical period. Including our own ? ?

I have one or two original prints, one of a chain-snail system from close to 1800, that I have yet to frame and put on a wall. This is difficult - because I never hang pictures of any kind on a wall, even if I own the rest of the place, including thewalls. I just like Pure Wall - with nothing on it - or never anything staring at me from a table or desk.

Very personal!

Just across from me I have two Antiquas in their magnificent winding boxes framing a Dornblüth 99.2 in its vertical desk box - and from which I can instantly read the time from its big Unitas 6498 - sure it gets wound every day, by hand, there being no other choice - the most seen by me every day to check the time, if far too rarely on my wrist!

Excentrally yours,
amerix

Very nice to think of the engravers as craftsmen as well as artists. And the motivation for producing such detailed drawings for others.

Kind regards,

Andrew

Ps. Don't stare at a blank wall too much, or else you'll go blind!

... my daughter decided to make some horological art for me ... a couple of years ago ...

Filip

No message body

Hi Filip,

I really like that. Personal and meaningful. Did you have it framed? A future in graphic design for your daughter? Or perhaps even in the watch industry, heaven forbid!

Andrew

... for my birthday once, but personally i think she didn't put alot of effort in it (she's like her dad) because she can (and does) much better then that.

Her real future lies in dancing, you'll probably hear more about that in a couple of years.

Cheers,

Filip

. . . is an indication of immeasurable wealth ;-) . . .

Two more from that same source



Some machinery from an edition of Diderot's Encyclopedia. I particularly like this paring because it is two views of the same machine
www.wiglaf.org ,%20gear%20cutting,%20Sulli,%20perspective.jpg
www.wiglaf.org ,%20gear%20cutting,%20Sulli,%20top.jpg

And to go with one of my other collections, a knifemakers shop from Diderot
www.wiglaf.org ,%20knifemaker.jpg

A

Thanks Aaron,

Great to see more of these. Did you have the same idea of framing them? It was one thing to hold the static page, but they looked even better in a complementary frame.

Andrew

but all the pictures I have available are the scans I made when I first got them. I'll have to take a pic or 2 tomorrow

A

To hang in my study set against early prints/drawings of flora n fauna....God's creations versus Man's.

May I enquire where did u procure them?

That's a great juxtaposition and theme. Very nice.

The pages came from an antique print shop. I will send you the details.

Regards

Andrew

Thks mate

Getting some ideas for the "Tattoo project".

 

Thanks.

 

 

Vte