A BLACK FOREST CLOCK BEARER ‘SCHAPPUHR’ Ca. 1840 Germany

M&R245

A GERMAN BLACK FOREST CLOCK BEARER ‘SCHAPPUHR’
Circa 1840
Germany

Movement
The miniature spring-driven movement has a going train only and is constructed between plates. It has anchor escapement with a short pendulum. The automata moves the eyes and mouth.

Dial
The arched front has a circular enamelled dial with Roman hour numerals and minute markers. The time is indicated by a pair of steel hands. The winding hole of the going train is placed beneath the dial.

Case
The case of the movement is made of painted steel and is held by a polychrome wooden Chinese man. While the time is ticking, the mouth opens and the eyes look downwards, then the mouth shuts and the eyes are moving back to look forwards.

Duration one day.

Height 42 cm.
Width 12 cm.
Depth 12,5 cm.

Note
Clock bearers (German: Schwarzwalder Uhrenträger/Schnappuhr) were once active in the Black Forest. They earned their living with the sale and repair of clocks, but disappeared with the advent of clock shops. The clock-bearer clocks date back to the nineteenth century when the real travelling clock merchants disappeared. At the time a small factory began to produce clock bearers in memory of the travelling clock merchants: Metal plate figures with a day-going movement on their chest. Each part of the Black Forest had a different clock salesman. The figures were hand-painted, usually in traditional dress.