Swiss museum displays 17th-century clock made for insomniac pope
A 17th-century papal clock at the International Museum of Horology in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: Swiss museum displays 17th-century clock made for insomniac pope
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the International Museum of Horology in La Chaux-de-Fonds is displaying an exceptional night clock, designed in 1682 by the Italian Pietro Tommaso Campani. The timepiece was designed to meet the requirements of Pope Alexander VII.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Français
fr
Une horloge papale du 17e siècle au MIH à La Chaux-de-Fonds (NE)
Original
Silent and discreetly lit, the clock is an “emblematic figure” of Italian watchmaking, said the museum on Saturday on the occasion of its anniversary weekend. Combining technical innovation and artistic prowess, it features a painted dial attributed to the master Carlo Maratta.
This type of clock was originally created to meet the requirements of the “insomniac” Pope Alexander VII. The latter, whose pontificate lasted more than 12 years and ended in 1667, was indeed eager to consult the time at night, without being disturbed by light or noise, explains the MIH.
More
More
From the cute to the horrific: Switzerland’s weirdest museums
This content was published on
Switzerland has some of the biggest and best museums in the world, but it is also home to some really bizarre and niche ones.
Thanks to the “invaluable” support of the friends of the International Museum of Horology and the precious metal control offices, the acquisition reinforces the collection of the museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds as the most significant in the world, notes the press release. The “surprise” was presented to mark the anniversary of the institution, inaugurated in 1974.
The clock, signed Petrus Thomas Campanus Inventor Roma 1682, embodies the “pinnacle” of horological innovation in its day. The International Museum of Horology invites all art and watchmaking enthusiasts to discover a piece, “where mechanical ingenuity combines with artistic virtuosity to create a monument to the history of watchmaking”.
The press release goes on to say that the piece will also appeal to a wider public. In the heart of the Museum Park in the watchmaking metropolis of the Neuchâtel mountains, the 50th anniversary festivities take place on Saturday and Sunday, 50 years to the day after the museum’s public opening.
Translated from French by DeepL/ts
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
This content was published on
Scientists have shown that bonobos combine their calls into complex sound sequences that resemble combinations of human words.
This content was published on
US parliamentarians have threatened the UN Human Rights Council with sanctions similar to those against the International Criminal Court (ICC).
This content was published on
Thanks to abundant snowfall, lift operators benefited from increased visitor numbers, with the number of guests jumping by 12% year-on-year.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.