Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Watch for the Turkish Market
(Baroque Europe )
The maker of this watch, who signed himself "Nikolaki," was probably of Greek ancestry and had served as an apprentice to a watchmaker from Geneva, Switzerland, who worked in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). Due to the great demand for watches in Turkey, several watchmakers from Geneva made their homes in Constantinople and trained local craftsmen in their art. The Turkish taste was for colorful and visually complicated watches. The raised pearls on the dial permit the time to be "told" in the dark or by the blind. Even the movement inside is decorated with pearls, although some are now missing.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; purchased by Henry Walters, Baltimore, by 1931; by bequest to the Walters Art Museum, 1931.
Exhibitions
| 2015-2016 | Pearls on a String: Artists, Patrons, and Poets at the Great Islamic Courts. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 2/2/2015 | Examination | Examined for loan. |
Geographies
Turkey, Istanbul (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 2 3/16 × W: 1 5/8 × D: 1 in. (5.5 × 4.2 × 2.5 cm); H with loop: 2 1/2 in. (6.3 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
58.81