Getty Museum

Wall Clock on Bracket

Date

about 1764

Medium

Oak veneered with panels of green, red, and cream painted horn, and brass; gilt bronze; enameled metal; glass

Culture

French

Department

Decorative Arts

Institution

Getty Museum

The early Neoclassical style borrowed designs from ancient Greece, including Greek art, architecture, and mythology. Ornamentation such as ram’s heads, urns, garlands of leaves, geometric decorative borders, and columns all reflect this inspiration. Because of this borrowing, people at the time called this style the *goût grec* (Greek taste). The use of horn veneer painted red, green, and cream seems to be unique among French clocks and furniture; it may have been an attempt to imitate colored enamel found in Chinese art, jewelry, and ceramics.

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