Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Preview image of work. japanned wood, brass on wood, Gallery Clock 11044

1992.43

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Gallery Clock

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Artist

Artist Unidentified

Title

Gallery Clock

Creation Date

ca. 1750

Century

18th century

Dimensions

64 5/8 in. x 29 1/16 in. x 8 3/4 in. (164.07 cm. x 73.74 cm. x 22.22 cm.)

Object Type

furniture

Creation Place

Europe, United Kingdom

Medium and Support

japanned wood, brass on wood

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Sarah Bowdoin Dearborn to the College, 1813; Transferred to Museum Collection, 1992

Copyright

This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s Copyright Terms and Conditions.

Accession Number

1992.43

Any timepiece was valuable in colonial America, available only to those with disposable income. As a result, large clocks, like this rare survivor, were displayed in areas of public assembly, such as churches or civic buildings. When James Bowdoin II presented this clock to Boston’s Brattle Square Church, it was the most stylish form he could buy. Its glossy black paint over gesso, called japanning, imitated exotic Oriental lacquers. By 1772, however, when a new building in an innovative architectural style replaced the old meetinghouse, this clock was deemed too old-fashioned. The church returned it when a new clock was presented. Cherished for its historical associations, the clock remained in the family until after James Bowdoin III’s death in 1811. James’s wife Sarah Bowdoin added the inscription, revealing the value she placed on her family’s colonial relic.