GIROTTI WALL CLOCKS - Welcome to the NAWCC! · Pictures of other known Girotti wall clocks are...

430 • September/October 2015 • NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin www.nawcc.org

The Canadian Clock Museum acquired its fi rst Girotti wall clock via the Internet in 2013. The company’s label on the back indicated that the maker was Gi-

rotti Sculptured Art in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, and research began on another “undiscovered” Canadian clockmaker.

Owners of these mid-twentieth-century Canadian wall clocks now can recognize the styles and appreciate the people behind Girotti Sculptured Art.

After an online search, I fi rst contacted a Girotti rela-

tive and then I met briefl y in April 2014 with the three surviving Girotti brothers whose family had been in-volved with this Canadian company, which began more than 50 years ago. Their memories of the start and stop dates for Girotti Sculptured Art were hazy, but from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s their accounts seemed to be reasonable. Members of the large Girotti family also operated a machine shop and a precast concrete prod-ucts business in St. Catharines during the last half of the twentieth century.

Allan Symons (CAN)

GIROTTI WALL CLOCKSAnother Successful Mid-20th-Century Canadian Maker

Figure 1. Front cover, 1971 Girotti Sculptured Art catalog. COURTESY OF AARON TISDELLE.

© 2015 National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission.

NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin • September/October 2015 • 431www.nawcc.org

Figure 2, top left. Back cover, 1971 Girotti Sculptured Art catalog.

Figure 3. Statement of pride, materials, and quality in the 1971 Girotti Sculptured Art catalog.

Girotti Sculptured Art: The Factory and the PeopleA careful examination of 1960s and 1970s city and

business directories by staff in the Special Collections Department of the St. Catharines Public Library turned up the following dates and names. Their Niagara Canada Business Directory collection starts with the 1971-72 edi-tion.

The fi rst year Girotti Sculptured Art was listed in the city directories was 1966, with the factory at 288 Glen-dale Ave. That address was unchanged up to 1979. An-other family business, Girotti Machine Works, was at the same location. However, in the early 1970s business di-rectories, Girotti Sculptured Art was listed next door at 290 Glendale Ave.

The last city directory entry was in 1980. Girotti Sculptured Art and Girotti Machine Works had moved to Seapark Drive in St. Catharines, where the latter com-pany is still in operation today. It appears that Girotti Sculptured Art had ceased production by 1980.

The 1966 city directory indicated that Marino Girotti was president of Girotti Sculptured Art. In the 1971-72 business directory M. (presumably Marino) Girotti was listed as president and J. Dickson as sales manager. In the 1973-74 and 1975-76 business directories Allan Girotti was sales manager. The next directory had no directors, but the 1976 and later city directories recorded Silvio Gi-rotti as president. Sadly, Marino and Silvio Girotti have since died.

According to information in the 1971-72 business di-rectory, Girotti Sculptured Art had eight male and 25 fe-male employees.

Girotti Sculptured Art: The ProductsIn addition to various styles of wall clocks (discussed

in the following section), the company’s wide range of products in 1971 included molded chalkware (plaster) statues, pedestals, solid chalkware and chalkware-on-wood wall plaques, and chalkware picture and mirror

frames. It is believed that just one employee, Walter Chowchenko (the spelling cannot be confi rmed), was responsible for making all of the chalkware components designs. The molds were created from his own Plasticine prototypes.

The 1971 company catalog promoted the quality of design, materials, and craftsman-ship (Figures 1-3). They had sales representa-tives across Canada for its “completely origi-nal, unique, and exclusive sculptured art. Each piece has been moulded with great care



to insure the skillful blending of beauty and practicability.”

Figures 4A, 4B, and 5 show two Girotti three-dimensional chalkware plaques ac-quired for The Canadian Clock Museum’s Girotti collection as examples of this prod-uct line. The date molded into the upper left edge of the cat model is 1964. The bar sing-ers model is undated. These are two of many models made by Girotti Sculptured Art. They can usually be found for sale online on the Ki-jiji classifi ed ads site, especially in Ontario, and occasionally on eBay and Etsy.

Girotti Sculptured Art: The Wall Clocks

Based on the several examples discovered to date, three basic wall clock styles were created and produced by the Girotti brothers:

• Large, fan-shaped starburst models (at least three different brass-plated, welded metal frames with wood dials and rays) (1960s, prob-ably just battery balance wheel movements).

• Large, chalkware-on-walnut veneer hori-zontal panels (84 cm or 33 inches wide) (1960s and 1970s, battery balance wheel movements).

• Molded polymer foam cases, horizon-tal and vertical formats (1970s, battery balance wheel movements).

The 1971 catalog with its black-and-white pic-tures included many op-tions for the latter two styles (Figures 6-8). All appear to use battery movements. But no fan-shaped models are found in this catalog. Those probably date from the mid- to late 1960s when starburst wall clocks made by several compa-nies in Canada and the United States were in fashion in North Amer-ica.

Figure 4A, left. Front of cat wall plaque (edge date 1964, 30 cm or 19 inches high). Material is 100 percent molded chalkware. Figure 4B. Back of plaque with round company label. COURTESY OF THE CANADIAN CLOCK MUSEUM.

Figure 5. Four singers at the pub bar, a molded wall or shelf chalkware plaque (undated, 25 cm or 9 inches wide). COURTESY OF

THE CANADIAN CLOCK MUSEUM.

COLLECTION, DONATED.



Figure 6. Molded-case cordless clocks, page 16 in the 1971 Girotti Sculptured Art catalog.

Figure 7. Three wood veneer panel and one

molded polymer case clocks, page 17 in the 1971 Girotti

Sculptured Art catalog.



Figure 8. Four molded-case clock models and

a molded picture frame, page 18 in the 1971

Girotti catalog.

Figure 9. Round company label for all three-dimensional products, including plaques and both wood panel and molded polymer foam case wall clocks (diameter 3.7 cm or 1.5 inches).

Figure 10A. Script Girotti name shown on the wood panel clock dials.

Figure 10B. Same script name shown on the round metal clock dials.



Figure 11. Typical wood veneer panel dial, with brass bars used as hour markers.

Figure 9 shows the round company label found on the back of most wood panel clocks, molded polymer case clocks, and wall plaques. Labels were typically placed over the bolt holes where the chalkware components were attached to the wood veneer panels.

The script word Girotti is found on the wood panel and the metal clock dials below the 12 o’clock position (see Figures 10A and 10B). The hour markers on the wood veneer dials are made from two sizes of square brass bar stock (Figure 11). The painted, round metal dials on the molded polymer foam cases have embossed Arabic numbers in the chapter ring (Figure 12). The year of manufacture was molded into some of the chalk-ware components mounted on the wood veneer panels and also into the side of the molded polymer frames (Figures 13A-13B).

In August 2014 The Canadian Clock Museum had one example of the fi rst style (see Figure 14), two of the second (see Figures 15-16) (the 1971 catalog shows three similar models but not these two), and one of the third (see Figure 17). The battery-operated balance wheel movement in the Figure 17 clock is believed to

Figure 13A, above. Close-up of production year 1974 in the top left edge of the molded frame of the clock also in Figure 17.

Figure 13B. Close-up of production year 1966 molded into the bottom edge of the villa chalkware component of the clock also in Figure 16.

Figure 12. Round, painted metal dial on molded polymer foam case models.



Figure 14. One of the fan-shaped models (the battery movement probably not original) (solid walnut dial, metal rod frame with alternating metal loops, and thick walnut rays, 66 cm or 26 inches wide). COURTESY OF

THE CANADIAN CLOCK MUSEUM COLLECTION.

Figure 15. Wood veneer panel, oriental picnic with island and boat molded chalkware appliqués (undated). COURTESY OF THE CANADIAN CLOCK MUSEUM COLLECTION.

Figure 17. BARBOQUE in the 1971 catalog, with molded polymer foam case, metal dial, and coppertone fi nish (1974, balance wheel movement with clear plastic cover, C size battery, 61 cm or 24 inches high). COURTESY OF THE

CANADIAN CLOCK MUSEUM COLLECTION, DONATED.

Figure 16. Molded Spanish villa chalkware appliqué (dated 1966, 84 cm or 33 inches wide, movement not likely original). COURTESY OF THE CANADIAN CLOCK MUSEUM

COLLECTION.



be original to the case. Some clock oil got the struggling movement running smoothly again (Figure 18).

Pictures of other known Girotti wall clocks are included in Figures 19A, 19B, and 19C. Figure 20 shows an early 2015 museum addition.

ConclusionThis is the fi rst formal documentation of the clocks

made by Girotti Sculptured Art in St. Catharines, Ontario. Current research indicates that the company was in busi-ness from about 1964 (the date on an early wall plaque) through 1979. The Girotti focus was on wall clocks, with no evidence for mantel clocks. That is not surprising be-cause public interest in mantel clocks had faded by 1960 in North America.

There were three basic styles of wall clocks. Probably the fi rst was a fan-shaped starburst design presumed mid- to late 1960s. At least three different metal rod frame ver-sions are known (Figures 14A, 14B, 19A, and 19B).

With the variety of walnut wood rays available, many “mix and match” models were likely produced. Large wood veneer panel clocks also date from this period and into the 1970s. These had molded and painted chalkware components bolted to the panels, with brass bars used as the clock’s hour markers.

In the 1970s clock production was apparently focused mostly on battery-operated wall models made with paint-ed, molded polymer foam cases and metal dials.

Pictures of other Girotti wall clock models will be added to The Canadian Clock Museum’s website (www.canclockmuseum.ca) in the Galleries section as they are discovered.

The museum’s search now begins to fi nd other Girotti

Figure 18. Early 1970s battery-operated balance wheel movement (Junghans, Germany) with clear plastic cover, inset into the back of the molded polymer foam case of the clock in Figure 17.

Figure 19A, left. Round walnut dial, alternating metal rods and petal-shaped walnut rays. COURTESY OF AARON TISDELLE.

Figure 19B. Diamond-shaped walnut dial, alternating walnut rays, and brass-plated metal rods with ball tips.



company catalogs and more examples of the many clock models in the 1971 catalog.

AcknowledgmentsI am indebted to Aaron Tisdelle, a

grandson of cofounder Marino Girotti, for responding to my original request for information about Girotti Sculp-tured Art and then introducing me in April 2014 to the three surviving Girotti brothers. Tisdelle provided a photograph of his own fan-shaped Girotti clock and loaned his copy of the 1971 company catalog for me to scan.

The Girotti brothers graciously wel-comed me into their sister’s home dur-ing one of their regular Friday afternoon family get-togethers around the kitchen table. It was exciting to meet Guerino (Scotty) and his two brothers, Dino and Mario. Looking at that old catalog brought back memories from more than 40 years ago. Guerino Girotti donated the clock in Figure 17 to the museum as I was leaving.

Jake Anderson in the Special Collec-tions Department of the St. Catharines Public Library checked the city and business directories from the 1960s and 1970s and summarized his very valuable search results in an email message to me.

About the AuthorAllan Symons is the founder, man-

ager, and curator of Canada’s only clock museum, The Canadian Clock Museum, which opened to the public in May 2000. The museum’s website (www.canclock-museum.ca) has had over half a million online visitors in the past six years.

Symons has spent the past 14 years researching lesser known twentieth-century Canadian clock companies. The Watch & Clock Bulletin published his article about Snider clocks (Toronto, 1950-1976) in the April 2010 issue

(No. 385). His article about Walter Clocks mantel clocks (Toronto, 1930s-1950s) appeared in the May/June 2015 Watch & Clock Bulletin, No. 415.

Figure 19C, left. GALLEON model, molded polymer foam case (86 cm or 34 inches high, 1971 catalog).

Figure 20. Vertical wood veneer panel with fl owers-in-vase molded chalkware appliqué (undated, 23 cm x 74 cm or 9 x 29). THE CANADIAN CLOCK MUSEUM

COLLECTION.

Believe it or not, but San Bernadino authorities in California have passed a local law providing for a fi ne or six months’ imprisonment for anyone exhibiting a public clock that does not keep correct time.From New Zealand Horological Journal, July 1946, p. 3. Submitted by Nancy Dyer (PA).


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