Cityscape Mandtler

Mandtler Clock, 1865 (MC0217)

The Mandtlers, like the Kroegers, had a clockmaking tradition going back to the eighteenth century. Gerhard Mandtler (1821–1904), who made this clock in 1865, was at least a fifth-generation clockmaker. His father, Jacob (ca. 1790–after 1840), moved the family from Prussia (in the Vistula Delta region, present-day Poland) to the Molotschna Colony, Russian Empire (now Ukraine) in 1839 and set up a clockmaking workshop in Lindenau. The dial of this clock is original. The dial is painted in a wood-grain pattern, which was unique for Mennonite clocks, but common in Mennonite-made furniture.

History

This clock was given to Mennonite Heritage Village in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada, by an unknown donor.

 

  • Description Thirty-hour wall clock with pendulum and weight-driven movement, made by Gerhard Mandtler (1821–1904) in Lindenau, Russian Empire (now Ukraine), in 1865, serial number possibly 8267. Arched dial is brown, painted with a wood-grain design with a single gold border around the perimeter. Arch has hand-painted scene of a city, possibly Lucerne, Switzerland, surrounded by gold and floral decorative elements. Spandrels are hand-painted gold scrolls with red and blue flowers. White chapter ring with black Roman numerals, surrounded by a gold decorative border. Two hands; chain drive; two weights.

  • Mennonite Clock Number MC0217

  • Object Name Mandtler Clock

  • Mennonite Heritage Village Accession Number 1966.406.1

  • Date Created 1865

  • Maker Gerhard Mandtler (1821–1904)

  • Location Made Lindenau, Molotschna Colony, Russian Empire (now Ukraine)

  • Other Markings G Mandler 1865 / 8267 [undecipherable initials] (engraved on gear); 9154 G (scratched onto back of dial)

  • Movement Type Iron plate

  • Owner Mennonite Heritage Village

  • Publications Arthur Kroeger, Kroeger Clocks (Steinbach, MB: Mennonite Heritage Village, 2012), pp. 96–97.

  • Notes The number 8267 marked on the clock seems too high to be a regular serial number, but otherwise its purpose is unknown.

 

Unlike the Kroeger Clockmakers, the Mandtlers marked the hour wheel of their clocks with their name, the date the clock was made, and the serial number (if applicable). The number 8267 looks like a serial number, but as it is higher than any other number marked on Mandlter clocks, it is likely not.

This Mandtler clock face is particularly uusual. It is painted a deep brown and has detailing that appears to imitate a wood grain. While this was a technique sometimes used on traditional Mennonite furniture, it was not commonly used on clocks. It …

This Mandtler clock face is particularly uusual. It is painted a deep brown and has detailing that appears to imitate a wood grain. While this was a technique sometimes used on traditional Mennonite furniture, it was not commonly used on clocks. It also features a city scene, either real or imagined, in the arch where most Mennonite wall clocks focused on floral or nature scenes.