Tick Tock
Hello!
I’m happy to be back and
writing again at the Burgwin-Wright House after a lovely spring break! Time with family is always a welcome treat
for me, so it was nice to be in my own house for a week! As always time slips
away from you when you have fun, and I’ve snapped back into my school schedule
as if I never left.
Speaking of time, one of
the few interior furnishings that I am always interested in when I visit any
home are clocks. There is just something about the style of a clock that really
tells you a great deal about the person who owns it. There are ornate gothic
clocks that tick the minutes to the witching hour, neon digital clocks that
scream you awake for work, the classic black and white clock face that students
stare at as the last ten minutes of class approaches, and the funny cuckoo
clocks that sing and dance on the hour at your grandma’s house. Each kind of
clock gives you an idea of the person or people who interact with them.
Here at the
Burgwin-Wright House, we have our own grandfather clock sitting at the top of
the stairs on the first landing. The design of the clock is Chinese with
elaborate depictions of landscapes and wildlife. Flowers frame the clock face
with more elaborate depictions of nature going down the base, with birds,
people, and a dragon. What is so interesting about this clock is that it is not
of Chinese origin; the clock is English circa 1740. This might seem an odd
choice in style for an English clock but this was quite common during the
Georgian era. Designs from the Far East
were popular amongst Western Europeans, and since not everyone could afford to
import Chinese furniture or design items, they began making the designs
themselves (Pile 207).
The clock is not as
exotic as it seems, but the imitation of Chinese art to my untrained eye is
quite believable. On my first tour through the house I noticed the clock
immediately and believed it to be Chinese.
Some might describe this piece as a knock-off but I look at it as a
testament to the tastes and the ingenuity of the people of Georgian Era. Sure, the
clock is not actually Chinese but the English clockmakers and designers who
built this clock had to learn and master a new artistic style for the clock to
be realistic. In doing so, the English gained exposure to another culture and
view of life.
Today, accessing another
culture is not a difficult task when we have Google and fast means of transport
by airplane or train. In the Georgian Era the only means of transportation to
another land was by boat or horse. If you wanted to find out more about another
culture you would have to read a book that was most likely dated. We have more
access to the world with the swipe of our fingertips today, and yet the
Georgians managed to bring another culture into their lives in very creative
and beautiful ways.
The old grandfather
clock at the top of the stairs tells me that the people of this time had a
taste for foreign culture and a desire to see more of the world. I can relate
to that very well, and even though hundreds of years separate us, we can still
share a common ground with our Georgian ancestors.
Until next time!
X
Alex
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