Watch holder
Alcora Manufactory
(Spanish, active 1727–about 1858)
mid-18th century
Object PlaceValencia, Spain
Medium/TechniqueTin-glazed earthenware
Dimensions39.37 x 31.75 cm (15 1/2 x 12 1/2 in.)
Credit LineBequest of R. Thornton Wilson in memory of Florence Ellsworth Wilson
Accession number1983.70
On View
On viewClassificationsCeramics
Collections
Before the invention of the wristwatch in the twentieth century, a watch holder allowed a bulky pocket watch to stand upright and be visible throughout the day. The Alcora factory was famous for extravagant ceramics in the rococo style as King Philip V of Spain tried to match the example set by Louis XV in France. The open scrolls and shells of this watch stand almost exceed the limits of clay to hold its shape during firing in the kiln.
ProvenanceBy 1967, R. Thornton Wilson (b. 1886 - d. 1977), New York; 1983, bequest of R. Thornton Wilson to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 12, 1983)
