Vintage Westminster Mantle Clock

Vintage German Art Deco Westminster Mantel Clock

Year: 62
Price: $220.00 USD

Description: Mantel Clocks are relatively small, moveable clocks traditionally placed on a shelf, or mantel, above the fireplace. The form, first developed in France in the 1750s, can be distinguished from earlier clocks of similar size due to a lack of carrying handles. A Garniture Mantel clock is a three-piece set, which features a clock in the middle with two garnitures, or decorative sidepieces. Mantel clocks are often highly ornate, decorative works.

Object: Mantle Mantel Clock/Garniture Mantel Clock
Origin: Germany
Dimensions (inches): 8.25H x 26W x 5.25D
Height: 8.25 in. (20.95 cm)
Depth: 5.25 in. (13.34 cm)
Width: 26.00 in. (66.04 cm)
Weight: 6.60
Date: 1940
Condition: Very Good

In overall very good condition. Antique and vintage items by their very nature are used items and will show signs of normal wear due to age and use. As we define 'very good condition' relative to the stated age of the piece, we would expect to see 'character marks' consistent with that age and could include minor nicks or dings to a wooden or metal object, minor wear to a painted surface, minor speckling on a mirror, light crazing or small manufacturing glaze skips in ceramic finish, or slight wear to a label. If ceramic/porcelain restoration has been done, it is of museum-quality so that it is hardly discernable and would be mentioned in the listing. 'Very good condition' would not include chips or cracks in any glass or ceramic item.

Item Specifics: Shows normal wear to finish and miscellaneous nicks, dings, and scratches due to age and use. The crystal face has been replaced. Clock does not run.
Strike (Hour) Function: Strike works, but sound is weak, tinny, or otherwise less than original sound quality.
Chime (Qtr or Half Hour or Music) Function: Chimes function, but actual sound is weak, tinny, or otherwise less than original sound quality. EuroLux Antiques makes no representation as to the actual notes of the melody, if any, played. If the actual melody played (Westminster Quarters, Whittington, Winchester, etc) is important to you, please email EuroLux Antiques, and we would be happy to verify it for you.
Style: Art Deco Style

World War I brought a sobering end to the lavish Art Nouveau style and a new modern, streamlined aesthetic developed in the 1920s and 1930s that eventually was known as Art Deco style. After WWI, the extravagance and excessive carvings found on Victorian and Revival styles was seen as outdated. Consumers wanted simplicity in design, and at the same time were fascinated with the new technological advancements in society, including the automobile, the airplane, the radio, television and skyscrapers, such as the Chrysler building and the Empire State Building in New York City.

Early Art Deco style is marked by sweeping curves, which give the impression of speed and velocity and the aerodynamic nature of automobiles and airplanes. Art Deco style can be understood as the celebration of the Machine Age, the optimism of spirit that proclaimed the future is here brought by technology. At the same time, there was a feeling of disconnection with the past and a rebellion against societal norms during the Roaring Twenties, which was expressed by the Flappers, young women who threw off their girdles, cut their hair short, smoked, drank, and danced all night in the Jazz clubs. Such a break in tradition demanded a bold, new and dramatic style and Art Deco fit the bill.

As the Art Deco style developed, there was a shift away from sweeping curves to rectilinear lines and geometric shapes, however the shapes were often fractionated forms that mirrored the contemporary Cubist art of Pablo Picasso. Hallmarks of the Art Deco style include geometric shapes, trapezoids, zigzags, chevron patterns, a sunburst motif and the stylized use of gazelles, deer, and birds, as well as a bold and dramatic color palette. Bright green, red, orange, yellow, and blue were found everywhere, especially on the cheery dishware line called Fiestaware in the US. Pink and black was also a favorite color combination. After the stock market crash of 1929 when 25% of the US was unemployed, inexpensive Art Deco wares remained popular as the vibrant colors boosted spirits and the focus on technology and the future gave promise that things would get better.

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