There is something quietly magical about clockwork toys. They belong to a slower rhythm, a time when play began not with a switch or a screen, but with a key turned carefully in the fingers. The title Winding Down speaks directly to this ritual. Both toys in the painting are clockwork, and both ask you to pause, to prepare, and to be present. You wind them up, set them down, step back, and watch. For a few brief minutes, they come alive.
In this scene, water and lawn form a calm stage for motion. The pool is still, reflective, almost meditative. Above it, the world is at rest: deck chairs folded back after a long day, the modernist house glowing gently as evening settles in, clouds gathering warmth rather than threat. Below the waterline, however, energy hums. The toys are ready. This contrast—between stillness and movement, rest and anticipation—sits at the heart of the painting.
Featured prominently is Lionel’s tinplate No. 1-44 toy boat, a handsome, purposeful machine built for speed. The “1” prefix tells us this is Lionel’s 1980 reissue of the original 1930s mould, a faithful reproduction that honours the engineering and optimism of the earlier era. Stamped tinplate construction, a glossy baked enamel finish, nickel-plated trim, opening hatches, and twin figurines all speak to a level of care rarely found today. Under those hatches, a clockwork motor drives the propeller for up to four minutes of wild, looping water racing. The adjustable rudder allows the boat to circle endlessly or run straight for nearly a hundred feet before cleverly turning itself around and heading home. It is ingenious, playful engineering—simple, durable, and deeply satisfying.
I had been searching for this model for several years before finally finding this boxed example in the United States. There is a particular pleasure in the hunt for such objects, matched only by the moment when the search ends. I also own its twin, the No. 43, which will appear in a later painting, continuing the quiet conversation between these mechanical siblings.
Sharing the scene is the clockwork tinplate race car known as the Golden Arrow. This striking, limited-edition model by Schylling in Germany celebrates one of the great moments in speed history: Major Henry Seagrave’s 1929 Land Speed Record of 231.45 mph at Daytona Beach. Many consider the original Golden Arrow the most beautiful land speed record car ever built, and the toy captures that elegance perfectly. Long, low, and streamlined, it looks fast even when standing still, its golden body echoing the warm tones of the evening sky.
Lionel and Schylling share more than a commitment to quality; they share an understanding that toys can be both objects of play and objects of wonder. Lionel, founded as an electrical novelties company, became synonymous with toy trains, producing them continuously since 1900 and earning global admiration for their solidity and authenticity. Schylling, for over forty years, has carried forward the tradition of high-quality tinplate toys, producing limited editions that feel timeless rather than nostalgic.
In Winding Down, these machines are not relics. They are active participants in a quiet moment at the end of the day, reminding us that joy does not need to be loud or digital. Sometimes, all it takes is a small key, a careful turn, and the patience to watch something beautifully made do exactly what it was designed to do.
Winding Down, Oil on Linen 95 cm x 180 cm
email ross@jonesthepainter.com for details.
