Since their introduction around 1780, Vienna Regulator clocks became a familiar style in homes and public spaces around Europe and the world. Produced in Vienna, Austria, the forms have moved from their early and transitional designs to serpentine, altdeutsch, Baroque, and factory-made types with one-, two-, and three-weight movements. In continuous production until the 1930s, they continue to be popular with collectors and decorators today. A value guide is included.

Among the finest examples of European craftsmanship are the clocks produced for the luxury trade in the eighteenth century. The J. Paul Getty Museum is fortunate to have in its decorative arts collection twenty clocks dating from around 1680 to 1798: eighteen produced in France and two in Germany. They demonstrate the extraordinary workmanship that went into both the design and execution of the cases and the intricate movements by which the clocks operated. In this handsome volume, each clock is pictured and discussed in detail, and each movement diagrammed and described. In addition, biographies of the clockmakers and enamelers are included, as are indexes of the names of the makers, previous owners, and locations.