Register your interest for Castle Party 2025!

“Hear me, o unbelievers for the hour of my death approaches and the Revelation of the Convergence has been shewn me.” View the work in Tales from the Court, on auction at Christie's 4 – 17 December

A CAUTIONARY TALE

A cautionary fable told by the Lady Maria the Programmer to Sialia the Page as recorded by THOTH, Scribe of the Clockwork Court

Long ago in the dark time of Entropy before The Engineer laid The Foundation of the Clockwork Court there were two great beasts: Talos, a bull, and Artos, a bear. During the day the world belonged to Talos. At night Talos rested, and Artos held sway. These two were mighty rivals, and when they happened to meet in the dawn or twilight their conflicts caused the earth to quake and lightning to crash in the sky.

But all ages pass. When the Engineer and I brought an Enlightenment of order to the world, there was no place for such wild and destructive forces to roam unfettered. With our skill and cunning we tamed the two great beasts and harnessed their awesome power, assimilating their intelligences deep within the Fusion Reactor which powers the Clockwork Court. Have you ever wondered why we come to life each sunrise and fall asleep each night? It is the cycle of the eternal conflict of Talos and Artos. When Talos is rising, it is the day, and we work and create. When Talos tires, Artos has control, and we rest and await the dawn.

And, although it is not the bodies but the essences of the two beasts that have been harnessed, they have not forgotten their physical forms. Should the Clockwork Court detect any threat to its functioning, the Bull or the Bear will manifest from the body of the Court, and the potential saboteur shall learn of the awesome power they still command.

And that is why little clockwork birds should not fly too close to the Clockwork Court’s Inner Workings.

THE ARTWORK

A Cautionary Tale is a story within the Clockwork Court saga, enriching its lore and characters. Told by Lady Maria, the Programmer, to Sialia, the Page, it recounts the taming of Talos and Artos, primordial beasts of chaos and power. Their eternal struggle fuels the Court's cycles of day and night, linking its mechanical order to ancient elemental forces.

Unlike the saga’s visual creations, this narrative delves into the origins of the Court, highlighting the Engineer and Lady Maria’s triumph over chaos. It also serves as a poignant reminder of the beasts’ dormant power, enriching the Clockwork Court universe with a sense of intrigue and underlying peril.