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THBMonumental Wendell Castle Arch Clock from Masterpieces of Time Exhibition
About Seller
6270 Este Ave.
Cincinnati , OH 45232
United States
With offices in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Denver, Cowan’s holds over 40 auctions each year, with annual sales exceeding $16M. We reach buyers around the globe, and take pride in our reputation for integrity, customer service and great results. A full-service house, Cowan’s Auctions specializes in Am...Read more
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About Auction
LiveMay 6, 2016 - May 7, 2016
Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
View Full Catalog (87)
- Lot Description
American, 1985. Arch clock designed by Wendell Castle (American, b. 1932), composed of Brazilian rosewood, curly maple, gold-plated brass, wind and electrical movements with chimes; ht. 91.5, wd. 56.5, dp. 19 in.
Wendell Castle is one of America's greatest craftsmen. He expresses his artistic vision through the sculpting of furniture. He is best known for his use of exotic woods and rich decorative materials in the creation of exquisite furniture that has a sculptural emphasis. In the early 1980s, Castle embarked on one of his most ambitious and significant projects, the design and execution of monumental tall-case clocks, which culminated in 1985 in the exhibition Masterpieces of Time. The exhibition included Arch clock and twelve additional tall-case clocks by Castle. The clocks evoke the human form, "architectural references from the past...and artistic and thematic paradoxes which epitomize the ambiguous nature of time and the eclectic spirit of modern architecture." (Milliken Inc. exhibition press release, 1985). A number of the clocks in the exhibition were acquired by private and corporate collectors and by museums, including Ghost clock by the Renwick Gallery (Washington, D.C.) and Dr. Caligari clock by the Memorial Art Gallery (Rochester, New York).
The Arch clock is one of the most architectural of the designs. Castle stated, "The arch is the most important form in architecture and I put the clock in the center to highlight its importance." In addition to its reference to the Roman arch, the clock alludes to the Empire period with the use of rosewood, and Egyptian imagery with the headdress form of the arch and the pyramid form at the base. The hands of the clock, gold-plated glass hemispheres, rotate around the face. The clock opens to shelves on one side and the clock's movements are contained in the other side. There is a game at the bottom which utilizes gold balls on the stepped pyramid. At almost eight feet tall, Arch clock stands as one of Castle's most impressive works.
PROVENANCE
The Humana Corporate Art Collection
Purchased from Alexander F. Milliken Inc. in 1989 for $180,000
EXHIBITION HISTORY
Masterpieces of Time, Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, Ohio, September 12-October 27, 1985
Alexander F. Milliken Inc., New York, November 2-December 20, 1985
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., December 24, 1985-May 4, 1986
LITERATURE
Jeffrey Schaire, "Wendell Castle's Clocks," Art and Antiques (October 1985), pp. 67-69.
Lisa Hammel, "A Woodworker's Show of Clocks," The New York Times, November 14, 1985.
Lisa Hammel, Time and Defiance of Gravity: Recent Works by Wendell Castle (North Haven, CT, 1986), p. 10, p. 15.
Sarah Booth Conroy, "Art Around the Clock," The Washington Post, January 1, 1986.
Edward Lucie-Smith, "Time Capsules," Art News (March 1986), p. 114
A.U. Chastain-Chapman, "Fine Time: Wendell Castle's Baker's Dozen," American Craft (April/May 1986), p. 19, p. 22.Condition
There is some surface wear to the case of the clock such as nicks and dents to the frame and very small losses to the edges of the rosewood casing. In addition, there are a few scratches to the gold-plated brass hands as well as the pyramid balls at the bottom, the pyramid itself also having a few dents. This wear is regarded as minor and consistent with use and display.If you wish to view details, you may follow this link, where high-resolution pictures are available, along with a zoom-in feature: http://cowanauctions.com/auctions/item.aspx?id= 182552 This lot is accompanied by the booklet Mason & Sullivan: Weight Driven Movement Instruction Manual and Troubleshooting Guide for the clock's movement.
Please note, due to the size of this lot, it will only be available for preview in our Cincinnati Salesroom. Condition requests can be directed to pauline@cowans.com.This item can only be shipped using a freight service or picked-up at our Cincinnati Salesroom. Shipping requests can be directed to shipping@cowans.com.Please note that a condition report is only an opinion, given as a courtesy, and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Cowan's Auctions shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.
Cowan's does not guarantee the working order of clocks or timepieces. Cowan's recommends that the buyer work with a skilled clock repair person when installing the clock in its new location.
- Shipping Info
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SHIPPING. At the request of the buyer, Cowan's will authorize the shipment of purchased items, which usually ship within two weeks after payment has been received. Shipment is generally made via UPS or Fed-Ex Ground. Unless buyer gives special instructions, the shipping method shall be at the sole discretion of Cowan's. Cowan's is in no way responsible for the acts or omissions of independent handlers, packers or shippers of purchased items or for any loss, damage or delay from the packing or shipping of any property.
Property made of or containing certain plant or animal materials, such as coral, crocodile, ivory, whalebone, baleen, tortoiseshell, etc., may require a license or certificate before exportation from the United States and importation to another country. If you are purchasing items that contain these materials, you need to check the government wildlife import requirements in the countries from which and to which the item is being shipped prior to bidding. Since the export and import licenses are independently issued by the countries of origin and destination, obtaining one does not guarantee that you can obtain the other. Purchasers are responsible for making timely payments on items won at auction, even if a license is delayed or denied.
Cowan's is happy to provide a shipping estimate in advance of the auction. Please contact Cowan's Auctions by email at shipping@cowans.com, or call 513.871.1670 (ext.19).
SHIPPING CHARGES. Buyers are required to pay for all packing, shipping and insurance charges. Overseas duty charges are the responsibility of the successful bidder. Be aware that for larger and/or valuable items, shipping charges can be substantial.
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