Rock Crystal Watch with Quadrilobed Case

Description Many 17th-century watches were made with cases incorporating rock crystal. This semiprecious stone introduced an added element of luxury and also, in this context, served as a symbol for eternity by recalling the crystalline sphere traditionally described as constituting the outermost edge of the universe.

Provenance Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Inscriptions [Signature] Conrad Kreizer

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters