Tall-Case Clock

Tall-Case Clock

Edward Duffield

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This clock possesses a sophisticated weight-powered movement that runs for eight days and chimes on the hour. Its mahogany case, with intricate carving and appliqués, possesses a cockerel cartouche at the top—a motif frequently seen on English and French clocks, but rarely on American examples. The cockerel may have been a reference to the Apostle Peter, patron saint of watchmakers, or to Christ’s proclamation at the Last Supper, "I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me" (Luke 22:34). Duffield was a leading Philadelphia clockmaker known for his friendship with Benjamin Franklin. He made clocks for Franklin’s family and served as executor of his estate.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.