The 13in (33cm) clock – more design object than timekeeper – was made at the Wiener Werkstätte c.1904 by the silversmith Karl Kallert to a design by Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956).
A super-structure of hammered metal set with semi-precious cabochon stones and coral finials carries marks for the maker, the designer and the Wiener Werkstätte.
A photograph of this clock taken in 1904 survives among the Wiener Werkstätte Archive at the Museum of Applied Arts and Contemporary Art (MAK) in Vienna. It was reproduced in the catalogue.
This – together with the model number 0066 – marks it as an early work from the studios established by Hoffman and Koloman Moser the previous year. There was speculation it may have formed part of a promotional collection produced by the workshop shortly after its launch.
Specialist Marcel Brouwer – who described it as “the discovery of a lifetime” – told ATG the clock had come for sale from a Dutch private collection, with the current owner only recently made aware of its potential importance.
A bidding contest across several phones at the auction on June 25 was won by an international buyer well above the top estimate of €80,000.
A 29% buyer’s premium was charged.
