Spearheaded by an informal collective of French artists in the 1920s, the Art Deco movement soon spread and evolved into a massive international art movement focused on what was then considered ultramodern. The movement largely vanished during the Second World War, though it underwent a resurgence in the 1960s and has remained stylish ever since. Art Deco dealt with all manner of decorative arts, from architecture to decorative figurines and everything in between.
The Art Deco style was characterized by the use of what were considered modern materials in the 1920s and 1930s, such as aluminum, lacquer, inlaid wood and stainless steel as well as other, more exotic, substances. Further, as something of a reaction to the post-world War I austerity, the Art Deco movement was extremely lavish and opulent in nature. Many notable artists of the period made their careers – and achieved fame – through the Art Deco movement and it remains a well defined style to this day beloved by many. Because the style employed elements of many other modern styles, there is often a question about whether or not any particular piece reflects Art Deco or one of the other art styles that it borrowed from.
In that Art Deco dabbled in almost all decorative mediums, not surprisingly this also included mantel clocks. Original Art deco clocks from the 1920s and 1930s were largely mass produced, but since much of this production was in Europe, only a small number of them survived the turmoil of the Second World War. Today, original Art Deco mantel clocks from the 1920s and 1930s are highly collectible and are often sold for huge thousands of dollars, depending on their current condition. Since these clocks were mass produced, they were often not produced very well, so when an example is found that is in excellent working condition its value as a collectible skyrockets.
Beyond the originals, there are also a lot of high quality replicas being produced today that can be obtained at a much more reasonable price. These replicas tend to be exact duplicates of the original clocks, using the same mechanisms and materials. These high quality replicas can still cost a significant amount of money, frequently running into the hundreds of dollars, but rarely more than this. Generally these high quality replicas can only be found at specialty stores, where the retail markup is significant, though you can also find them sold directly by the manufacturers online. Further, in an effort to drive up the price and keep certain designs and models fairly unique, many replica makers will only issue a limited number of any particular model.
Much less expensive are the imitation Art Deco clocks that can be found much easier. These are basically fully modern clocks, whose mechanisms and parts have nothing in common with the originals, but that are placed within an Art Deco casing. Most of these imitation Art Deco clocks are massed produced today and cost less than a hundred dollars. Depending on the style and make, these clocks may still provide the right aesthetic for your living room, but they have no real resale value. You can find these imitations in many generic clocks stores and even in massive discount
Tags: art, Art Deco, art deco style, decorative figurines, Europe, french artists, international art movement, movement, Second, second world war, style, War
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