Ball Wall Clock, Model no. 4755 Designer: George Nelson & Co., Inc. (American, founded 1947)
Manufacturer: Howard Miller Clock Company (American, founded 1926)

designed 1947; manufactured by 1948–69

American Decorative Arts

On view, 3rd floor, Modern and Contemporary Art and Design

Beginning in 1947, the Nelson design office developed a series of new clocks for the Howard Miller Company. Having no traditional clockface or numbers, the clocks were considered radically modern. The wall was the ground, and the clock became part of the architecture rather than an unrelated hanging object. This model is often referred to as the "Atomic Clock" because the rods and balls evoke the familiar emblem of atomic structure.

Medium

Brass, steel, maple

Dimensions

14 × 14 × 2 1/4 in. (35.6 × 35.6 × 5.7 cm)

Credit Line

Bequest of Doris M. Brixey, by exchange

Accession Number

2001.12.1

Geography

Manufactured in Zeeland, Michigan

Culture

American

Period

20th century

Classification

Timepieces

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Mode Moderne, Philadelphia, by 2001

This clock was exhibited in the dealers' booth at the Triple Pier Antiques Show, New York City, 3/17/01.
Bibliography
  • John Stuart Gordon et al., A Modern World: American Design from the Yale University Art Gallery, 1920–1950 (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2011), 383–84, no. 268
  • Christina Borger, "Hidden Treasures," New Haven Register (December 13, 2009), E1, ill
  • "Acquisitions 2001," Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin (2002), 115, ill
  • "Triple Pier Antiques Show," Antiques and the Arts Weekly (April 13, 2001), 82
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States

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