  
  About the Artwork
  
  
  Every fifteen minutes, the rooster atop this clock comes to life, its wings flapping and its beak opening and closing as if to crow. When the clock strikes the hour, individualized figures promenade around an enthroned emperor within the domed canopy that resembles a crown. These figures represent the four princes and three archbishops who elected each ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. The clock&acirc;&#128;&#153;s base bears two engraved inscriptions that allude to its iconography: Hane Crei, (Rooster&acirc;&#128;&#153;s Crow) and Coervorsten (prince-electors). 
The silver panels on the clock&acirc;&#128;&#153;s sides are engraved with landscapes that evoke some of the empire&acirc;&#128;&#153;s vast lands in central and northern Europe, which encompassed parts of nine present-day countries. The helmeted heads of soldiers with flowing moustaches seem to watch over these landscapes, and the entire clock rests on a base adorned with lush fruits and flowers and supported on the backs of four roaring lions. The clock&acirc;&#128;&#153;s silver and gilt copper case encloses a sophisticated network of gears, springs, and chains, called a movement. This mechanical wonder represented the pinnacle of technology, engineering, and metalworking and would have been an impressive centerpiece within its owner&acirc;&#128;&#153;s collection.
  
  
  Title
  &acirc;&#128;&#156;The Rooster&acirc;&#128;&#153;s Crow&acirc;&#128;&#157; Automaton Clock
  
  
  Artwork Date
  ca. 1585
  
  Artist
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  Life Dates
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  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  German
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Gilt copper, brass, silver, steel (partially blued)
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 24 7/16 &Atilde;&#151; 16 1/2 &Atilde;&#151; 16 1/2 inches (62.1 &Atilde;&#151; 41.9 &Atilde;&#151; 41.9 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Timepieces
  
  
  Department
  European Sculpture and Dec Arts
  
  
  Credit
  Museum Purchase, Ernest and Rosemarie Kanzler Foundation Fund
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum&acirc;&#128;&#153;s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems&acirc;&#128;&#148;no longer assigned&acirc;&#128;&#148;that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  2023.601
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
  
  
  
