The exhibition presents a collection formed in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries by brothers Thomas and Frederick Proctor, two of the Institute's founders.
Eighty of the most visually appealing, technically sophisticated, or iconographically interesting watches were selected by jewellery historian Janet Zapata and Anna Tobin D'Ambrosio, curator of Decorative Arts at the Munson. These watches range in date from circa 1575 through to the early twentieth century and provide a remarkable overview of more than three hundred years of time-keeping, as watches evolved from jewellery and novelty items to precision timepieces.
The exhibition is divided into categories that demonstrate the opulence of each piece. The intricate scenes depicted on the repoussé cases of many of the silver and gold watches, for example, illustrate the height of metal-smithing techniques. Some of the exquisite enamel work found on watches in the collection features highly detailed miniature portraits of still lifes framed in pearls. Semi-precious stones were also a favoured ornamental element; examples include jewel-encrusted watchcases and chatelaines. The collection also encompasses Renaissance-style watches of rock crystal, clever automatons, and novelty forms that vary from a skull to a blossoming flower.
It is the first exhibition to explore watches within the history of decorative arts and jewellery.
An exhibition in collaboration with the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, USA.
