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Vienna, first half of the 19th century
- Case
- ormolu, engine turned front with palmette frieze and scrolling foliage and shell décor, four bun feet, original leather case
- Dial
- enamel
- Movement
- cylinder escapement, short front pendulum
- Height
- 2 in
Among the most fascinating timepieces of Viennese clockmaking are the so-called tiny tickers, miniature table clocks whose pendulums have a very short period of oscillation. These small decorative clocks enjoyed great popularity in the Biedermeier period and are still coveted collector’s items today. Many of these clocks are less than three inches high. This makes the great craftsmanship of the masters of this era all the more impressive.
In the first half of the 19th century, Vienna was a center of European clockmaking thanks to its precise wall clocks – the elegant regulators called “Laterndluhren” and “Dachluhren”. Travelers liked to bring back a luxury souvenir in the form of a tiny ticker from a visit to the Danube metropolis. For such purposes, small, perfectly fitting leather cases were created in which the clocks could travel. Only a few of these cases have survived to this day – it is a stroke of luck that the leather etui of this miniature clock still exists.
The delicate ormolu case on four ball feet is adorned with an engine turned front with lotus frieze and acanthus-shell decoration. In front of the enamel dial with Roman numerals and wreath-shaped bezel swings the short front pendulum, whose rapid movement has given this delightful type of clock its German name “Zappler” (“fidget clock”).