Design for a Clock

Jean François Forty’s Design for a Clock, sketched in pen and gray ink, features classical motifs reflecting the late 18th-century fascination with antiquity. Note the two cherubic figures, reminiscent of Eros or Cupid, supporting the clock’s urn-shaped body. These figures evoke a sense of playful innocence, yet their burden hints at the weight of time itself. The serpent coiled around the urn's neck is a potent symbol—often associated with healing and eternity, as seen in the caduceus, but also with temptation and the cyclical nature of life and death. We find echoes of this duality in ancient Greek and Roman art, where serpents adorned temples and domestic spaces alike. Here, the serpent’s presence transforms the clock from a mere timekeeping device into a meditation on mortality, memory, and the ceaseless flow of existence. This symbol transcends time, reappearing throughout art history, constantly shifting its meaning yet always retaining a connection to our deepest subconscious fears and desires.