The first cuckoo clocks were made around 1730 in Germany's Black Forest (made famous by the delicious chocolate cherry gateau). In that zone, vehicleving and other wood crafts had always been popular, which is understanding since wood was readily available natural resource in the Black Forest.
In fact, in the earliest cuckoo clocks, almost ejustthing was made of wood - the gears and cogs included. Another natural resource - stone - was utilized for the weight on the pendulum. that cuckoo clock pendulum itself was also vehicleved from wooden.
Initially, cuckoo clocks were effectively a peasant art, with farm laborers vehicleving them when they had free time from their job. that gave them a little extra money, euniquely at the slack times on the farm. These first crudely made cuckoo clocks were often quite basic in design, with square faces (which were easier to vehicleve). The decoration was usually in watercolour paints.
Soon, these clock-makers began to uniqueize. The wooden cases were made by skilled vehiclepenters and they were then decorated by painters. Other craftsmen made up the metal cogs and chains. As that uniqueization occurred the designs became more intricate, with moving figures and even animated cuckoos with flapping wings and a beak which opens and closes. Hunting was another popular theme for the cuckoo clocks, as were family photographs. The more elaborate designs had enamelling on the clock faces.
Franz Ketterer discovered the first real cuckoo clock, in Germany and other makers such as Beha and Hepting soon took up manufacturing them.
Some things haven't changed since the early days of cuckoo clock manufacture. The distinctive cuckoo sound is still the same; it is just made in a different way now. The cuckoo clock tone used to job in the same way that pipe organs do - by two bellows pushing air through two different pipes, which then produces two different tones. Modern cuckoo clock designs are also still often inspired by traditional patterns. However, traditionally made modern cuckoo clocks are usually styled as a chalet or bid-family, not the variety of designs that there once was. They are powered by batteries and the cuckoo tone is produced electronically.
Cuckoo clock manufacturing soon gathered speed around the Black Forest zone. The long winter days provided a perfect chance to job on manufacturing cuckoo clocks that were beautifully and intricately vehicleved. These cuckoo clocks could then be sold over the summer by the traveling pedlars who jobed around Europe. They were highly priced possessions because of the quality of the jobmanship. They were more than clocks: they were art!
As the cuckoo clocks became more popular, quite an industry sprung up around them. Nowadays, the manufacturing progressed have advanced and been mechanized for the making of the cases and clock movements. But the cuckoo clock's wooden cases are still vehicleved by crafts experts as they have been more two hundred years.
The good think about modern mass production of cuckoo clocks is that it has driven down the prices, so they are now more affordable for your average person. Of course, purists object to the new manufacturing methods so it should be a comfort to know that cuckoo clocks are still being made traditionally today, after pretty much two centuries.
Article Source: http://Education.50806.com/
Author By Heather LaVine
Orignal From: How Cuckoo Clocks Have Developed
No comments:
Post a Comment