Wall Clock Ornamentation in the History of Art: Examples from the Wall Clocks at the İstanbul PTT Museum and the TCDD İzmir Museum

Wall clock ornamenting is a significant form of workmanship in terms of both the history of arts and of Turkish culture. Now on the verge of falling into oblivion, this form of art had produced many valuable models of clocks that have survived through centuries. This study examines ten wall clocks displayed at the PTT Museum in Sirkeci, Istanbul, and the TCDD Museum in Alsancak, Izmir. These clocks, all of which are broken and out of order, were made of wood, metal, and glass. This article is intended to analyze them in terms of size, ornamenting techniques, and motifs, and also to try to determine their date of production through the artistic characteristics they possess. Pictures of the clocks taken from various angles and a list thereof are presented in an appendix to this article.