Ontwerpen voor horlogekasten rondom een pijprokende man 1703

Pierre Bourdon designed these watch case engravings sometime in the 17th century. Notice the prominent acanthus leaves swirling around each design. The motif of the acanthus—a Mediterranean plant—has traversed millennia, beginning in ancient Greek architecture and sculpture, symbolizing endurance and immortality. Observe how Bourdon uses this ancient symbol. The leaves curve and interlock, evoking a sense of classical permanence and the temporal precision of a watch. This emblem’s story does not end here; the acanthus evolves, reappearing during the Renaissance as a symbol of rebirth and in Neoclassical art to denote a return to the perceived purity of ancient forms. The persistence of the acanthus leaf shows our subconscious yearning for continuity. It reveals a desire to anchor ourselves to the past while measuring the fleeting moments of the present. The image resonates not just as a design, but as a point in the perpetual return of symbolic forms.