Josef Kratina, an Art Nouveau wooden clock with a female figure and bat motifs, Prague/Paris, c. 1900

carved walnut, with brown polished finish; stylized female figure with arabesque formal canon and partly openwork struts; inscribed J. Kratina at bottom right; dial with Arabic numerals; in the center a stylised bat; spring suspension with bat-shaped pendulum; power reserve: 1 week, with 1/2 hour striking mechanism on a bell; spring-driven movement, anchor mounting; key; movement with openwork brass cover on the back; with two carved female figures holding hands underneath; signs of age and use; movement not tested; size: height: 40.3 cm, width: 23 cm, depth: 11 cm. (MP)

Provenance:
From the estate of the Kratina family. Acquired in Dresden in 1979, thence Germany Private Ownership. The Czech artist Josef Kratina lived in Paris for several years and was a student of Auguste Rodin. He lived in New York from around 1907 onwards.

Specialist: Dr. Magda Pfabigan, M.A.