Objekt 4
Stick clock with figure automaton
Description
The mechanic Emil Wick (1816-1894) ran the only store for optical instruments in Basel at the time on Blumenrain from 1844. With the daguerrotype, a new recording technique, he acquired a fortune. This enabled him to pursue his mechanical hobbies, which included the construction of grandfather clocks with figure automatons, including the one exhibited here. The automaton shows a street scene with 19 moving groups of figures. The clock is accompanied on the side by a Basel herald who strikes the hours and a skeleton who moves the scythe and the hourglass.
Object description
Manufacturer: Emil Wick (1816-1894)
Basel, after 1865
Wood, glass, cardboard, enamel, brass, steel
Signature: DEO IVVANTE CONSTRVXIT HOC OPVS EMIL WICK
Deposit Raphael Schefold, Basel
Inv. 1985.310.