The Swedish Mora Clock - What is it?

Mora clocks come from the town of Mora, in the province of Dalarna, central Sweden.

Antique Mora clocks originated in the late 18th century (around the 1750s–1800s) when farming families in the Mora area began making longcase clocks as a way to supplement their income during hard winters.

Mora Clocks: a collaborative production 

Unlike other European clockmakers, Swedish Mora clocks weren’t made by a single craftsman.

Instead, families in different villages specialized in fabricating the necessary parts— body, face, mechanism, or paint finish.

The completed Mora clocks were then assembled and sold with many bearing the signature "A A S Mora" (representing the initials of one of the early makers, Anders Andersson from Östnor, near Mora).

Distinctive style: 

The Swedish Mora clock usually has a curvy feminine silhouette (sometimes known as the “Swedish grandmother clock”) with a wide belly and narrow waist.

Many were painted in light colours often white or pastel shades, while others retained natural wood finishes especially in the Kurbits folk art tradition.

Decoration varied depending on the buyer’s pocket—simpler versions were made for farmhouses, while more ornate painted versions went to wealthier households.

Popularity of the Mora clock

At their height of their fame in the early 19th century, Mora clocks were being widely produced to became a symbol of Swedish craftsmanship and blissful domestic life. They number reduced alot from about 1850 as popularity wained.

Industrialization in the mid-19th century, the rise of the Biedermeier / Karl Johan style and the advent of cheaper mass-produced clock mechanisms in Europe America caused the traditional Mora clock industry to decline.

“A A S Mora” 

You often see 'A A S Mora' painted on the faces of authentic Mora clocks and this refers to Anders Andersson from Östnor (near Mora, Sweden).

• Anders Andersson (1727–1799) is credited as one of the first clockmakers in Mora.

  • He began making longcase clocks around the 1750s, and his work inspired others in the community to join in.

  • To mark the origin of the clocks, many dials were signed with “A A S Mora” – meaning Anders Anders Son, Mora.

  • Even after Anders’s death, the practice of signing clocks this way continued, not always indicating that Anders himself made the clock, but rather serving as a regional mark of authenticity and origin (much like a brand).

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  So, when you see “AAS Mora” on a clock face, it’s not necessarily the individual maker’s initials but a reference to that founding clockmaker and the Mora tradition.

YOU can see our stock of over 50 antique Swedish Mora clocks here