Ghost Clock

Wendell Castle, Ghost Clock, 1985, bleached Honduras mahogany, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1989.68, © 1985, Wendell Castle
Wendell Castle, Ghost Clock, 1985, bleached Honduras mahogany, 86 1424 1215 in. (219.062.238.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1989.68, © 1985, Wendell Castle

Artwork Details

Title
Ghost Clock
Date
1985
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
86 1424 1215 in. (219.062.238.1 cm)
Copyright
© 1985, Wendell Castle
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program
Mediums
Mediums Description
bleached Honduras mahogany
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — other — linens
  • Object — furniture — clock
  • Fantasy — ghost
Object Number
1989.68

Artwork Description

At first glance Ghost Clock appears to be a grandfather clock hidden under a white sheet. However, a closer look reveals a masterful deception: this entire sculpture was hand-carved from a single block of laminated mahogany. With its meticulous detail, Castle re-created in wood the contours of soft, supple cloth, then completed the illusion by bleaching the "drapery" white and staining the base of the "clock" a walnut brown. This work is the last in a series of thirteen clocks the artist created in the 1980s; unlike the others, it lacks an inner mechanism. Its haunting stillness and silence suggest eternity--the absence of time.

Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery, 2019

Works by this artist (4 items)

Wendell Castle, Music Stand, 1975, walnut, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.168
Music Stand
Date1975
walnut
On view
Wendell Castle, Ghost Clock, 1985, bleached Honduras mahogany, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1989.68, © 1985, Wendell Castle
Ghost Clock
Date1985
bleached Honduras mahogany
Not on view
Wendell Castle, Desk with Clock II, 1991, ebonized mahogany, coachwood, patinated bronze, quartz movement and leather, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Peter T. Joseph, 1998.34.1
Desk with Clock II
Date1991
ebonized mahogany, coachwood, patinated bronze, quartz movement and leather
Not on view
Wendell Castle, Coffee Table, 1958, American walnut and padauk, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Ruhe family in memory of Dr. Edward Lehman Ruhe, 1993.24
Coffee Table
Date1958
American walnut and padauk
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 2016.11 - SAAM-2016.11_6 - 124929
Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery
November 13, 2015March 6, 2022
Connections is the Renwick Gallery’s dynamic ongoing permanent collection presentation, featuring more than 80 objects celebrating craft as a discipline and an approach to living differently in the modern world.

More Artworks from the Collection

Peking
Date1993
polychromed mahogany and gold leaf
Not on view
Michael Hurwitz, Rocking Chaise, 1989, mahogany, steel, and milk paint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Anne and Ronald Abramson, the James Renwick Alliance and museum purchase made possible by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1990.102, © 1989, Michael Hurwitz
Rocking Chaise
Date1989
mahogany, steel, and milk paint
On view
Jere Osgood, Cylinder-Front Desk, 1989, Australian lacewood, Honduras rosewood, pearwood, mahogany plywood, and water buffalo calfskin, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance and museum purchase made possible by the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1990.53, © 1989, Jere Osgood
Cylinder-Front Desk
Date1989
Australian lacewood, Honduras rosewood, pearwood, mahogany plywood, and water buffalo calfskin
Not on view
Rosanne Somerson, Botanical Reading Couch, 1992, painted mahogany and cherry with cotton, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance, 1995.77, © 1992, Rosanne Somerson
Botanical Reading Couch
Date1992
painted mahogany and cherry with cotton
On view