ABSTRACT

This article uses depictions of mechanical clocks in wall paintings of the Shekhawati region in Rajasthan to study the transition to a mechanized temporal order in a context that was both linked to cosmopolitan trade cities and separate from them. At one level, an increased visual citation of the mechanical timepiece is proof of an increased influence of clock time, while the diversity in these depictions highlights the multiple perceptions of the most visible artefact of a new temporal order. Tracing the development in depictions of temporality in the paintings from 1750 onwards, the article also explores the continuities and breaks with depictions of time pre-dating the introduction of imperial clock time (which only gained influence in the region towards the end of the nineteenth century). Moving beyond treating the paintings as sources of historical enquiry and traces of historical change, the article focusses on the decorative qualities of the wall paintings, as well as the ornamental aspect of the mechanical time-piece, to explore their agency in mediating attitudes towards a new temporal framework.

摘要

本文使用拉贾斯坦邦 Shekhawati 地区壁画中对机械时钟的描绘，研究在与国际贸易城市相关且与它们分离的背景下向机械化时间秩序的过渡。在某种程度上，机械表的视觉引用增加证明了时钟时间的影响增加，而这些描述的多样性突出了对新时间秩序中最明显人工制品的多重感知。追溯 1750 年以来绘画中时间性描绘的发展，文章还探讨了在引入皇家时钟时间之前的连续性和时间描绘（直到 19 世纪末才在该地区产生影响） ）。