Every museum director dreams of being in possession of the most beautiful, the most ancient and the most valuable exhibit. Hence, it hardly comes as a surprise when the expert’s heart flutters at the sighting, quite without warning, of a unique 18th century cuckoo clock. In fact, this clock truly is unique, since it is a sham. Nothing about it seems to ring true. The dial stems from the 18th century, the movement originated in the 19th century and the hands point to the 20th century. And the loveable little cuckoo? Even the cuckoo was added on later.
Wishful thinking is believable beyond any doubt. Hence was born the “Baroque Cuckoo“, this smashing icon of the German Clock Museum. No publication or promotional material was complete without this extraordinary clock.
Along came a new director. He banished the clock from the spotlight, relegating it to the repository dungeon. And there it remained for nearly one decade of remorse. Today, it is allowed to come out into the open - as a particularly instructive example for the criteria of collecting.
Wall clock with cuckoo and carved shield, assembled by Robert Hermann, Furtwangen, c. 1950, Inv. 03-2202