Watch

Jacob Wybrants

ca. 1640 · Case: rock crystal and gold, partly enameled; Movement: gilded brass and steel, partly blued · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Today Leeuwarden is a small, rather quiet city, but in the seventeenth century it was the capital of a wealthy Dutch province as well as the seat of the Prince Stadholder of Friesland. It is not entirely unlikely, therefore, that a relatively unimportant watchmaker found a patron for this elegant watch. In 1648 the estate of Leeuwarden goldsmith Minne Sikkes (recorded 1618, d. 1648) contained one large crystal watch case and four smaller ones.

Artist

Jacob Wybrants

Date

ca. 1640

Medium

Case: rock crystal and gold, partly enameled; Movement: gilded brass and steel, partly blued

Culture

Dutch, Leeuwarden

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917