An Early Black Forest Musical Flute Clock "Fötenuhr"

This is a beautiful Black Forest flute clock. This flute clock represents the earliest construction style where the time, strike, and musical works all share a simple clockwork style housing. By 1820 this style was not longer used and a removable clockwork was then incorporated into a more robust musical framework…allowing for more a much more complex musical machine to be developed.

This flute clock is very small having a total shield height of under 18″!

The clock plays 6 lovely tunes on a rang of 15 wood pipes. The tunes range from fast peppy tunes to slow waltzes.

A Very Rare "Beha Cuckoo Clock" made by Johann Baptist Beha, Eisenbach with eye-turner "Augenwender" complication

This cuckoo clock is hands down one the best cuckoo clocks in our collection. The clock in in magnificent condition, and is an excellent example of Beha's work for the 1860's.

The Biedermeier case has an ebonized finish with extensive inlay work of brass, zinc, and colored turtle shell.

The dial is zinc, and is decorated with 12 enamel cartouches that are set in gilded embossed brass bezels. This is one of the most elegant dials that can be found on a cuckoo clock.

The clock utilizes a wood plate movement with double fusees, and has a running duration of 8-days.

What really makes this clock rare is the miniature oil painting that is seen behind glass in the base of the clock. As the pendulum swings an eye from the dog and hare move with the swing of the pendulum adding a very subtle animated display.

A Balck Forest Sorg clock or Sorguhr added to the collection

It has been quite some time since we updated our online museum. This is a clock that we are excited to be able to share with you today.

This Black Forest miniature is frequently called a Sorg clock or Sorguhr, names after the inventor of this design Franz Joseph Sorg.

Although all Sorg clocks are considered rare, this example is very unusual as it does not follow the traditional style used on Sorg clocks.

Instead of the traditional embossed brass crest this example has a crest made of wood that has been decorated with a delicate oil painting.

The clock has a total shield height of only 3.5".

The movement is a miniature wood plate movement that has brass gears held in wooden arbors and has both time and strike complications.,it is signed and dated 1837.

The pendulum swings in the back on the movement near the wall between two small wooded posts called "stollen".

The movement is powered by a single weight that rides a pulley that engages the braided rope appling pressure to both the time and strike train of the movement simultaneously.

This is just a beautiful example of a Sorg clock, and a real Gem in our collection.

A Rare Beha Cuckoo Clock with Monk Automation "Beha Kapuziner-Uhr"

This next clock in our collection is a wonderful clock made by Johann Baptist Beha in the 1870's. The clock has a beautiful gothic walnut case which is designed in the form of a cathedral. The detail work on the case is just amazing, this is truly a price that must be seen in person to appreciate its true splendor.

The clock utilizes a three train wood plate movement. The clock calls the hour with a cuckoo that appears through the round double doors in the upper pediment, the third train of the movement is for the Angelus and automation complication.

At 6:00 am , 12:00 Noon, and 6:00 pm the lower double doors of the cathedral open and a bell ringer lifts his arms pulling a rope in an automated display as two gongs are stuck in rapid succession. On most of Beha monk clocks the figure in the cathedral was a traditional monk dressed in the brown robe. This example has a figure of a bell ringer, probably made for a customer who was protestant. We have seen one other example of a Monk clock with the identical figure.

This particular example is very unusual. It is not found in any of Beha's catalogs... and there is not model number assigned to the clock in the Beha records... as it was clearly produced in very low numbers. We do have in our archives the original drawings two page drawings for this identical clock ... from these drawings the case for this clock would have been produced. Both drawings are signed by Lorenz Beha and dated 1874.

While many other makers other than Beha produced clocks with Monk automation and Angelus strike... the examples made by the Beha firm are without question in a league of their own. We are always looking to document other examples of monk clocks. If you have a Black Forest clock with a Monk complication please contact us through our website at www.blackforestclocks.org

An early Black Forest clock with eye-turner Automaton "Augenwender "

This clock is an excellent example of a Black Forest picture clock with automation to the eyes in the painting, known as an Augenwender to German speaking collectors.

The clock has a wonderful oil painting of a shepherd calling his flock. The painting is done of a sheet of zinc. As the pendulum swings the two eyes of the herdsman look left to right. The detail work in the painting is just magnificent. The frame is of the early style with detailed painted decorations in the corners, there is an access door in the bottom of the case to access the pendulum.

The movement is a wood plate, spring driven movement. The clock can be dated to the late 1850's early 1860's.

For more rare Black Forest clocks please check out our website at www.blackforestclocks.org