The melting clock tattoo is a fantastic choice for fans of surrealist painter Salvador Dali or even those who simply want a very cool looking design that has a lot of unique meanings. At first glance most people simply see odd looking clocks in these tattoos, but they were created for a reason. Getting to know the history of the melting clocks as well as some of the many meanings attached to them can help you decide if this is the type of tattoo for you.

Famous for his incredible surrealist paintings, Salvador Dali’s masterpiece The Persistence of Memory is a representation of a unique perspective of time that counters our traditional view of consistent, linear progression from one spot to the next. The clocks are seen again in a follow-up piece done by Dali entitled The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory, featuring the same time pieces only less detailed and defined.

The concept of melting clocks may also differ from Dali’s original design and appear quite different. They may appear more or less distorted and feature various symbols on the face of the clock rather than or in addition to warped numbers.

Dali was known for painting during trance-like states that he claimed to have induced in himself in order to create his otherworldly, striking pieces that elevated him to a status of great esteem by his peers and eventually the surrounding world. The paintings’ meanings weren’t always perfectly clear to the people who saw them, but it was always pretty obvious that a genius had created something special, particularly with the melting clocks.

Below we will take a look at some of the meanings associated with the melting clock tattoo as well as some of the very cool ways that you can get the clocks designed.

Popular Melting Clock Tattoo Meanings

The most obvious reason why so many people get the melting clock tattoo is because they want to tell the world that they are huge Dali fans. Sure, you could get any Dali paining in your tattoo, but since most people recognize the melting clocks, it is the best option if you want to ensure that most people recognize the design that is on your skin.