Watch 1615 - 1630

This silver watch, crafted by James Vautrollier in the 17th century, presents more than just the hours; it encapsulates our timeless dance with mortality. The clock, from antiquity, is an ancient symbol of temporality, a reminder of life's fleeting nature. Even in the ancient world, one finds this motif in sundials and hourglasses, tools created for measuring time. The visual representation of time, with its rhythmic marking, is a constant echo of human existence, which is similarly finite. Consider how the 'memento mori'—the reminder of death— appears in various art forms, from skulls in Dutch still life paintings to the Danse Macabre in medieval art. In each epoch, this motif is reborn, a cultural reflex reminding us of our mortality. The ticking clock, therefore, transcends its utilitarian function, becoming a powerful 'zeitgeist'—a spirit of the age—that taps into humanity's deepest existential anxieties. It reminds us that time, like life, is perpetually in motion, urging us to ponder our place in the grand scheme of existence.