PENNSYLVANIA, 1825-1835

The self-taught artist Edward Hicks popularized the image of the "Peaceable Kingdom" as a manifestation of his desire for peace and religious harmony. He painted the scene numerous times, and more than sixty versions of the scene painted by Hicks are known. While no other clock faces by Hicks are known, his early training as a sign painter and the variety of other utilitarian objects that survive by Hicks suggest that his range of works could well have included them. The composition conforms to versions of the scene painted by Hicks in the period from 1825-1830, wherein the child is the central character. However, Hicks represented these children clothed or draped, and a nude image of a child by his hand is not known. The painted spandrels depicting symbolic representations of the four continents are also unusual within his oeuvre, but the Native American representing the American continent does have some close parallels, particularly in his "Penn's Treaty with the Indians" compositions. While it is unclear whether the current clock face was painted by Hicks or inspired by his work, it stands as an important addition to the range of his influence, and one of the few scenically painted American clock faces of the early 19th century.

Microanalysis indicates the backboard of this clock is Pinus of the white pine group.