Clock, Model 6366

Although he lacked formal artistic training, Gilbert Rohde pioneered the field of 20th-century design by creating clean, modern furniture that, like many domestic objects during the first half of the century, skillfully married the machine age with convention. By 1930 Rohde entered into a partnership with furniture manufacturer and distributor the Herman Miller Company, for whom he developed innovative storage cabinets and sectional sofas, among other decorative articles. In 1933 he designed a series of clocks for the company, debuting these in his experimental “Design for Living” interior at the Century of Progress International Exposition in Chicago. For this example, Rohde employed opulent Macassar ebony for the body and accented it with chrome-plated steel. The gleaming metal bands give the clock a streamlined, modern appearance—as do the stylized numbers on the face—while the dark, polished wood provides the impression of solidity and tradition.

Credit: Stanley and Polly Stone Endowment; American Art Purchase Fund