If you’ve ever been in our shop or on our website and looked at our collection of Swedish clocks, one thing you will notice is that every single one is unique. They come in all sorts of different sizes and colors and the embellishments on the bonnet or the body are never the same. And the bodies too are different. Some are narrow and straight while others are slim and balanced and some are bottom heavy with a shape resembling a snowman. You will simply never find two antique Swedish clocks that are the same.
Why might that be? Because every Swedish clock – sometimes called Gustavian, Fryksdahl or Mora clocks – was made by hand… or more accurately, by a series of hands. In the mid to 18th century the farming community of Mora in central Sweden was burdened by poor soil and several years of drought. As a result many of the citizens decamped to Stockholm for new opportunities. Some of them returned however, and brought with them a new skill, clock making. By this time longcase or tall clocks had been around for about a century, the pendulum clock having been invented by Dutchman Christiaan Huygens back in 1656. (Huygen’s original clock was not a tall clock, but something more akin to what we call a cuckoo clock. Taller case clocks evolved after the discovery that longer chain pendulums made for more accurate timekeeping.)
The struggling community decided to use this new skill to supplement its economy and embarked on a clock building enterprise that would flourish for a century until competition and sophisticated manufacturing processes in the US and Germany put them out of business near the end of the 19th century. Their success inspired other communities around the country to follow their lead. (Swedish clocks are sometimes marked with the inscription from the town where they were manufactured. Those from Mora sometimes have "A A S Mora" on them, with the AAS in this case standing for Krång Anders Andersson of Östnor, traditionally known as the first clockmaker in the district of Mora.) And indeed they were successful! By the time Swedish clockmaking met its end in the 19th century, it’s estimated that the families in Mora and other towns had manufactured in excess of 50,000 clocks, with output in some years reaching over 1,000 clocks!
And it was actually families who manufactured these clocks, rather than large manufacturing facilities. Each of the families who participated in the community’s endeavor would manufacture a different element or part of the clock. Some would make the cases, others the faces, others the brassworks while others would paint and others work with the glass. It is this lack of assembly line manufacturing that gives us the wide variety that characterizes Swedish clocks.
The variety we see in the clocks is extraordinary. Some are quite tall, reaching up to 8 ft in height, while others can be much shorter. Some bonnets are covered with elaborate carvings and etchings while others are simple, plain, round affairs. The bodies can be narrow with simple lines or they can undulate and have a variety of roses or faux medals or musical instruments carved into them. And then there is glass. As glass was relatively expensive at the time, some clocks came without the window through which the pendulum could be seen, and a few even lacked the glass covering the face. What’s more, sometimes the clock mechanism and the body were sold separately. A buyer would purchase the face and the mechanism for the clock then engage a carpenter to build a case based on their design and specifications. That’s why, although it’s rare, some clocks have family crests carved into them.
And then of course there is the paint. One of the most recognizable characteristics of Swedish clocks is that they are typically – although not always – light in color, often a grayish blue or green or beige. That’s by design as Sweden gets so little sunshine through much of the year. The lighter colors would help reflect what light there was so as to help illuminate a room. There are clocks however with much darker colors. These were often in the homes of the wealthy where there was no dearth of candles. Not surprisingly these darker clocks frequently featured gold or silver etchings as well.
So there we have it… a quick look at Swedish clocks. They make great additions to a room as their elegant subtlety can capture one’s eye without overpowering the room itself. At the same time the wide variety of designs means that somewhere out there is a clock to fit almost any room.
Why might that be? Because every Swedish clock – sometimes called Gustavian, Fryksdahl or Mora clocks – was made by hand… or more accurately, by a series of hands. In the mid to 18th century the farming community of Mora in central Sweden was burdened by poor soil and several years of drought. As a result many of the citizens decamped to Stockholm for new opportunities. Some of them returned however, and brought with them a new skill, clock making. By this time longcase or tall clocks had been around for about a century, the pendulum clock having been invented by Dutchman Christiaan Huygens back in 1656. (Huygen’s original clock was not a tall clock, but something more akin to what we call a cuckoo clock. Taller case clocks evolved after the discovery that longer chain pendulums made for more accurate timekeeping.)
The struggling community decided to use this new skill to supplement its economy and embarked on a clock building enterprise that would flourish for a century until competition and sophisticated manufacturing processes in the US and Germany put them out of business near the end of the 19th century. Their success inspired other communities around the country to follow their lead. (Swedish clocks are sometimes marked with the inscription from the town where they were manufactured. Those from Mora sometimes have "A A S Mora" on them, with the AAS in this case standing for Krång Anders Andersson of Östnor, traditionally known as the first clockmaker in the district of Mora.) And indeed they were successful! By the time Swedish clockmaking met its end in the 19th century, it’s estimated that the families in Mora and other towns had manufactured in excess of 50,000 clocks, with output in some years reaching over 1,000 clocks!
And it was actually families who manufactured these clocks, rather than large manufacturing facilities. Each of the families who participated in the community’s endeavor would manufacture a different element or part of the clock. Some would make the cases, others the faces, others the brassworks while others would paint and others work with the glass. It is this lack of assembly line manufacturing that gives us the wide variety that characterizes Swedish clocks.
The variety we see in the clocks is extraordinary. Some are quite tall, reaching up to 8 ft in height, while others can be much shorter. Some bonnets are covered with elaborate carvings and etchings while others are simple, plain, round affairs. The bodies can be narrow with simple lines or they can undulate and have a variety of roses or faux medals or musical instruments carved into them. And then there is glass. As glass was relatively expensive at the time, some clocks came without the window through which the pendulum could be seen, and a few even lacked the glass covering the face. What’s more, sometimes the clock mechanism and the body were sold separately. A buyer would purchase the face and the mechanism for the clock then engage a carpenter to build a case based on their design and specifications. That’s why, although it’s rare, some clocks have family crests carved into them.
And then of course there is the paint. One of the most recognizable characteristics of Swedish clocks is that they are typically – although not always – light in color, often a grayish blue or green or beige. That’s by design as Sweden gets so little sunshine through much of the year. The lighter colors would help reflect what light there was so as to help illuminate a room. There are clocks however with much darker colors. These were often in the homes of the wealthy where there was no dearth of candles. Not surprisingly these darker clocks frequently featured gold or silver etchings as well.
So there we have it… a quick look at Swedish clocks. They make great additions to a room as their elegant subtlety can capture one’s eye without overpowering the room itself. At the same time the wide variety of designs means that somewhere out there is a clock to fit almost any room.
The quintessential Swedish clock... with simple lines, a rose on the bonnet and rosettes on the neck.
An elegant clock with a sun under the neck and ribbons adorning the door.
A somewhat less common clock (actually from the Danish island of Bornholm) with its straight lines, right angles and flat top.
This clock is bare wood with a star in the middle and flanked by delicate volutes.
The face of a clock upon which can be seen the initials of Krång Anders Andersson
A gorgeous clock with minimal embellishments but a darker blue color.
A clock with a carving on the bonnet that resembles a French Phrygian Cap.
As this clock features a delicate Chinoiserie on a dark color, it very likely belonged to a wealthier family where candles were abundant.
This clock features a lovely pewter ring face with Roman numbers.
This orange clock is topped with a brilliant starburst.
This beautiful clock features a stunning base adorned with volutes and foliage.
