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Ludwig Oechslin
Johann Wolffgang Hartich –
Masterpiece, Augsburg
English translation: Cecilia Hurley
(Editions »Institut l’homme
et le temps« – Musée International d’Horlogerie, La
Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland)
1st edition 2006, 168 pages,
90 black and white and 60 coloured illustrations, hardcover
28 x 18 cm, ISBN 978-3-89896-277-3, 54,00 Euro
Best.-Nr. 277
Distribution and delivery in
Switzerland:
Musée International d’Horlogerie, Rue des Musées 29, 2301 La
Chaux-de-Fonds
ISBN 978-2-940088-19-5, 78,00 CHF
In autumn 2004 the International Museum of Horology in
Switzerland acquired the presumed masterpiece by Johann
Wolffgang Hartich from Augsburg, a Renaissance style
tabernacle clock with astronomical displays constructed
circa 1712. The author first became acquainted with this
clock on the premises of the Hübner Company in Vienna in
1987. But at that time it was still unclothed: in other
words there was only the movement without the case.
The piece was originally to be found in the collection of
Hans von Bertele, the famous Austrian clock historian; after
his passing it was purchased by the Hübner Company in Vienna.
Mister Hübner asked for an examination of the clock with a
detailed report in accordance with the previous researches
oft the author. That report from 1987 forms the basis of
substantial parts of the present publication, especially
those concerning the technical description and the
historical status of the movement. An addition has been made
in form of a short description of the case that was added in
the meantime, accompanied by some considerations on the
concomitant problem of authenticity and falsification.
The purchase of this precious piece has allowed the Musée
International d’Horlogerie not only to fill a gap in its
collections but also to realise a complete concept
incorporating an additional study, a publication, and a
differentiated form of presentation in its exhibition spaces.
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