This clock with pierced stone grille at Rockefeller Center is Lee Lawrie's largest work in the complex, other than the Atlas.
Symbolism abounds in this piece.
In it, we see the Big Dipper and the Southern Cross, representing the Earth's Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
A seagull flies over a whale's fluke, representing the Northern World and palm trees represent the Southern.
The Eagle and the Smokestacks represent the new order, while the Norman Tower and the Lion representing the old order.
A Mosque represents the Eastern World and an Aztec Temple represents the West.
Mercury or Hermes represents Communication and below him the dissemination of communications through Water, Art and Sciences and Industry, "the common attributes that have lead all men to higher stages of civilization."
The four figures represent the four races of man.
Note: I have intensified the color of this illustration to virtually restore its magnificence.