Untitled (Cuckoo Clock with Dancing Figure), Watercolour on Paper

Title: Untitled (Cuckoo Clock with Dancing Figure)

Artist: Unknown (illegible monogram-style signature, bottom right)

Signed: Yes, lower right (illegible initials/monogram)

Date or Time Period: Mid-20th Century (c. 1950s–1970s)

Medium: Watercolour on paper

Subject Matter: A surrealist interior scene rendered in impressionist-Dalí inspired style. The composition features a colourful dancing figure in traditional Spanish dress, set beneath a red cuckoo clock with chain weights, projected against luminous yellow windowpanes. Shadows play across the wall, including a ghostly silhouette of another figure, evoking dreamlike ambiguity.

Dimensions (cm):

Framed: H: 27.5 × L: 32.5 × W: 1.5

Unframed: H: 19 × L: 24

Condition: The painting is well-preserved with strong colours. Some light ageing and minor marks visible on the mount. The original mid-century frame shows light wear consistent with age.

Framing Details: Simple black wooden frame with gilt slip, mounted behind glass. Backed with brown paper and secured with period tape, retaining original cord for hanging.

Provenance: Private collection, unsigned attribution. The surrealist subject matter, bold use of colour, and dreamlike staging suggest influence from European surrealism and impressionism.

Description:

This atmospheric watercolour blends surrealism with impressionist technique, transforming an ordinary domestic interior into a stage of dreamlike tension. A dramatic interplay of shadow and light dominates the scene, with the cuckoo clock and its pendulous chains acting as a symbolic focal point. The figure in a vibrant costume, alongside the spectral silhouette in the window, creates a hauntingly theatrical narrative that recalls both Dalí’s surrealist dreamscapes and post-war European modernist expression. A rare and unusual mid-century artwork for collectors of surrealism and mid-century modern design.

 

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Please Note:

All artworks offered by Saint Dante are pre-owned and pre-loved. They may show natural signs of age - such as light surface marks, minor fading, or gentle frame wear - which form part of their history and authenticity. These nuances are not flaws, but the quiet fingerprints of time, marking each piece as entirely unique. Due to the nature of pre-owned art - condition may vary.

Please refer to the photos provided for this artwork’s condition.