WPC ‘Time’ : From Gothic to Modern

The Gothic styled Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg has the most fascinating clock I’ve ever seen. This eighteen metre high astronomical clock was completed in 1843 and is said to be extraordinarily accurate. This amazing clock does far more than tell the time, it also indicates solar time, with each day of the week being represented by a god of mythology. It also shows the month, the year, and the appropriate sign of the zodiac, as well as the phases of the moon and the position of several planets.

There are many sculpted figurines which move around at different hours of the day, and if you happen to be there at half past midday, you will see all these automatons go into operation and start doing their thing. At the top you can see the representation of Christ, and underneath is Death himself.  Figurines representing the different stages of life; a child, a teenager, an adult and an old man, all pass in front of  Death. Above this, the apostles walk before Christ, accompanied by the sound of beating wings and the crowing of a rooster. Did you ever see a more ornate timepiece?

In stark contrast is my kitchen clock which for some strange reason, the people who bought our house insisted that we leave behind. I’m quite fond of it, but if the sale of the house depended on them having the clock too, I wasn’t going to argue.

Hope you’re having a great Tuesday. I’ve packed quite a few boxes and taken down and wrapped my paintings. The house is looking quite bare already.

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