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Friedberg/Bavaria, around 1700
- Clockmaker
- Elias Kreittmayr II,
- Friedberg, 1676 to ca. 1720
- Case
- stained maple veneer, multi-tiered case with profiled base, two Tuscan columns and an entablature running around the whole case, profiled fillets, oval glazed apertures on both sides with mirrors and monastery works, turned flat bun-feet, silver-plated metal mounts, painted chessboard pattern inside the case
- Dial
- fire-gilt front (ormolu) with floral engravings
tin dail, one-pointed - Movement
- verge escapement, richly engraved plate with signature, duration of 14 days
- Height
- 14¾ in
This early baroque clock in altar form is a work of the famous Friedberg clockmaker Elias Kreittmayr. Friedberg was an important center of clockmaking in the 17th and 18th century. So-called „altar clocks“ are an early form of the bracket clock and are typical for Friedberg and Augsburg of this period. They often have a narrow dial and a movement that appears delicate in relation to the case.
The case of the present clock, made of stained and veneered maple, is artfully staggered in depth and decorated with a multitude of silver-plated metal fittings. A profiled base zone with turned flat bun feet is followed by the main zone with two Tuscan columns and a cornice. On the sides there are two glazed oval windows with mirror-backed monastery works. Two narrow glazed apertures behind the columns allow a view of the movement and the interior of the case with its painted checkerboard pattern and mirrored back wall. The fire-gilt front is artistically engraved with floral motifs, the pewter dial is single-handed. The richly engraved plate bears the ornate signature of Elias Kreittmayr. The movement with verge escapement has the impressive running time of 14 days. This magnificent timepiece is a wonderful example of baroque clockmaking and a testimony to the great skill of the Friedberg masters.