104th Auction
2021/5/22
Lot 176
Georg Schulz
An important Königsberg Renaissance crucifix clock of high quality, with hour strike
The hexagonal, beautifully engraved and chased body holding the clock movement supports the figure of the crucified Christ between John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary; above them a flying angel and the dial in the form of a sphere with silver hour band and crowned by a figure. Skull and crossbones are positioned between the figures at the foot of the cross. The movement is elaborately ornamented with applied gilt tendrils, the three-armed iron balance has a gilt bridge decorated with bird heads and flowers.
Crucifixion clocks form by far the largest group among the timepieces with a religious motif. This is due to the contemporary "memento mori" theme as a reminder of the transient nature of human existence. In the course of a century, a large number of pieces in various styles were created; most of them show the crucified Christ in the company of the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist, with a skull and crossbones at the foot of the cross. Some few versions show Christ alone.
According to Jürgen Abeler’s records, Georg Schul(t)z lived in Königsberg around 1650. He is known exclusively for his crucifix and hexagonal table clocks (see Jürgen Abeler, Meister der Uhrmacherkunst, 2nd Edition, Wuppertal 2010, p. 516); one of them is part of the collection of the Württembergisches Landesmuseums Stuttgart. It is illustrated in Die deutsche Räderuhr by Klaus Maurice, Vol. II, Munich 1976, Fig. 620).