A Swiss late Gothic wall clock, c. 1580. The case is made of painted steel plates around a steel frame. The arched front plate shows a Gothic chapter ring with inner alarm disc, on which a sunburst pattern is painted, and a moon-age dial with penny-moon aperture within two painted Corinthian-capped pillars and surmounted by a winged cherub head, around which there is the dictum TEMPUS EDAX RERUM (‘Time eats away all things’ from Ovid’s Metamorphoses). Under the chapter ring there is a trompe l’oeil depicting a tiled floor, which suggests depth. The doors on the sides are painted and depict Elisabeth of Thüringen. The weight-driven, day-going steel movement consists of going, striking and alarm trains. The going train has its original balance-wheel escapement, while the hour-striking train is regulated by a count wheel. The weight-driven alarm indicates the alarm time on the bell and is set by placing a pin in one of twelve holes in the alarm disc, corresponding to the right hour indicated by an Arabic numeral. The moon-age dial has a scale 1-29½ and a star-spangled centre. • Height: 40 cm.

Source: http://www.crijns.com