Design for Five Medieval Brackets, the Central One Bearing a Clock 1800 - 1850

This is a design for five medieval brackets, the central one bearing a clock, made on a sheet of paper using graphite. The drawing offers us a window into the 19th-century fascination with the medieval past. This was a period when architects and designers, particularly in England and Europe, looked back to the Gothic style of the Middle Ages for inspiration. This design is likely related to the Gothic Revival movement, which sought to resurrect medieval forms in contemporary buildings and decorative arts. The inclusion of a clock in the central bracket is telling. Timekeeping became increasingly important with the rise of industrial capitalism, and so we can see the medieval aesthetic merging with modern social needs. To understand this drawing better, we can look at architectural pattern books, design journals, and the writings of prominent figures in the Gothic Revival. We might ask: how did medieval forms serve the needs and aspirations of 19th-century society?