Table Clock with the Twelve Earthly Branches
On the face of this Japanese clock are 12 dials separating the 24 hours in a day: the traditional system divides daytime and nighttime into six periods each, whose lengths change with the seasons. The 12 dials—representing the ancient Chinese cosmological system of 12 earthly branches—automatically move to allow for either more daytime or nighttime hours, depending on the season.
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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.
William T. or Henry Walters Collection, Baltimore; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
Geographies
Japan (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 1 5/16 × Diam: 2 3/8 in. (3.3 × 6 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Henry Walters, 1931
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.
58.253