Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Precious Time: A Pewter Clock by Archibald Knox, 1905


Pewter Clock
Archibald Knox, 1905
The Victoria & Albert Museum


Archibald Knox, a Scottish artist, was one of the leading designers of Art Nouveau decorative arts. A skilled and ingenious machine and cabinet maker, Knox worked in a variety of media: oil, watercolor, pewter, silver, jewels, gold, wood, stone and porcelain. He designed object which were both ornamental and utilitarian ranging from tea sets to tomb stones.


This pewter clock by Knox dates to 1905. It is the perfect example of Art Nouveau design with its organic forms and reliance on gentle curves. Typical of Knox’s aesthetics, the coolness of the pewter is a brilliant contrast to the clock’s face which glows with popular colors of the era: gold, copper, umber and deep green.





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