Mora Clocks
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Mora Clocks are clocks made in the Mora Municipality in Dalarna County in Sweden. Dalarna is famous in Swedish horological circles for its mass-produced long-case clocks. They were first produced in the last years of the 18th century as a response to the need for farmers to generate some income in the long, dark winter months in an agriculturally poor region. They were produced throughout the 19th century in a collective way, and modern versions are still on sale. They were equipped with 8-day movements, and struck the hours on two bells mounted on top of the engine. The weights are invariably made of cast iron. The clock faces are often marked with the inscription "A A S Mora". These were the initials of Krång Anders Andersson (1727-1799) of Östnor, traditionally known as the first clock-maker in the district of Mora. The appearance of his initials on a clock movement dated 1792 has been taken as evidence that the cottage clock industry was already flourishing by this time. Gunnar Pipping has estimated that over 50,000 Mora clock motors were made throughout the 19th century. It was usual for customers to arrange for the case to be made separately, and, indeed, for the cast iron weight cases to be filled from a local blast furnace. Genuine Mora clock motors can therefore be found in a variety of styles of cases.
[edit] References
- E Sidenbladh: Urmakare i Sverige under äldre tider Nordiska Museet, Stockholm, 1918 (revised 1947).
- Gunnar Pipping, Elis Sidenbladh och Erik Elfström: Urmakare och klockor i Sverige och Finland. Norstedt, 1995; ISBN 91-1-933282-3
- Swedish painted furniture. Julie Foster Decorative Antiques. Retrieved on 2005-12-17.
[edit] Further reading
- Mora Clocks and Tall Case Clocks. Cupboards and Roses. Retrieved on 2005-12-17.
- Enterprising in Mora. Mora torg. Retrieved on 2005-12-17.
- History. Mora Armatur. Retrieved on 2005-12-17.
