Isaac Habrecht's Carillon Clock: The Rolls-Royce of Renaissance clocks
Isaac Habrecht's carillon clock of 1589 was never intended to simply tell the time. It was a performance piece which, to former British Museum Curator David Thompson, was equivalent to ‘a Rolls-Royce level of clocks’. Made in Strasbourg, it is designed in imitation of the great clock in Strasbourg Cathedral (also made by Habrecht, in 1574). It is undoubtedly one of the most important surviving examples of Renaissance clockwork.
The figure of Death strikes the hour, and the carillon plays a musical setting of the Lord's Prayer written by Martin Luther in 1539. An astronomical dial shows the positions of the sun and moon in the zodiac. A revolving carousel shows the days of the week, each represented by its ruling planet personified and riding in a chariot. The clock’s metal case is engraved on three sides. One side features the figures of Faith, Hope and Charity (the three key Christian virtues mentioned in the First Epistle to the Corinthians). The other side shows Wisdom, Fortitude and Justice, while the back of the clock shows the Three Fates of Greek myth, who controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal from birth to death.
The clock is on display in the Museum in Room 37.
Find out more about this clock on the Google Cultural Institute: goo.gl/5v7vcv
Contributors (in order of appearance)
Oliver Cooke: Curator of Horology
David Thompson: former Curator of Horology
Пікірлер: 29
Now this is the sort of thing the British Museum Channel should be doing. Showing us pieces from the collection and describing them. Awesome video, make more please.
@kenhymes4900
5 жыл бұрын
I like all of the things they are doing... there's an implied disapproval in your comment that baffles me without some explanation. You feel that there is what.... too much contextualizing and socio-anthropology in other videos? If that's it, you have so much to choose from, and that angle is CLEARLY part of the mission of curators. If not... what is it?
What a priceless piece of art. It’s so beautiful and well made.
Excellent. Would love to see more like this.
The skills of the designer and maker of the clock works, was incredibly talented and skilled. The original owner was obviously very wealthy. This was certainly a commissioned work, as making it would not have been cheap. It would have tied up the clock maker and his apprentice for a long time. Wonderful video.
Beautiful more please
Does the British Museum actually display running clocks? I am always very disappointed when I visited the Met in New York which does not display any of the clocks actually running, which removes the of the beauty of the mechanics and motion.
@esoterra1024
7 жыл бұрын
Yes, there is an excellent collection of running clocks; including my personal favorite one which is driven by a ball running down a zig-zag ramp which tilts the opposite direction when the ball reaches the end in a regular timing.
How much would someone pay for a clock or similar
Zegar przepiękny pozdrawiam zegarmistrz Wolczyn Jan Nawrot
geniusly work done made me mad.......loved it
Amazing craftsmanship. The gears and such inside must be bugged out. All that math and geometry and engineering to get everything to mesh and be accurate. Human beings are amazing creatures. I wonder if God recognizes what we've done with the little brains he gave us.
@moaningpheromones
2 жыл бұрын
oh dear
I have antique rolls Royce wall clock 1910
@hellothere9848
2 жыл бұрын
Dp you mean dashboard mounted clock?
At 2:15, thanks Death!
give it back
@stover14
Жыл бұрын
That's not how history works lmao
Happy to know my great great great and beyond ancestry once made wonderful clocks and now my grandmother Habrecht plays gAmes On Her PhOne shejsnbdhejw
Over 2 years old with 8.5k views, but NOBODY has taken note of the holy hand grenade of Antioch @ 2:12?
@oulipolesceptique9449
5 жыл бұрын
lololol indeed you're right. But I was too distracted by what appear to be the snakes wrapped around Death's waist... Truly worthy of The Cave of Caerbannog.
@jfu5222
Жыл бұрын
I was too busy staring at Death!
Looks like a 19th century replica. And btw he's brushing the ormolu off.
Maybe the Mercedes, but the rolls royce of renaissance clocks are the planetary clocks of Immser and Baldewein.
so basically its a display of douchiness
@mikejones-dx8bx
5 жыл бұрын
a predecessor to rolex or patek
@kenc2257
5 жыл бұрын
Ah! You are a true connoisseur of Renaissance clocks.
I get that in era it was a demonstration of what can be done with metalwork and clockwork mechanisms, but if you commissioned something like this today - it's noisy, annoying and tasteless. Bloody bells every 15 minutes, you would take a sledgehammer to it just to save your sanity.