18
18K RARE DUPLEX WATCH FOR THE CHINESE MARKET
Estimate:
$20,000 - $30,000
Sold
$10,000
Live Auction
Spring Estates | March 2023
Category
Description
A very fine, large, highly important quarter repeating musical centre seconds watch. Jeweled lever movement, free standing spring barrel, key wind and set, engraved,signed Courvoisier & Co., Chaux-De-Fonds. The 18K case with enamel plaque of women and girls. The bezel set with turquoise and coral. Total weight 133.8g; case diameter 2.3in (59mm)
(29) The present watch is a fine example of one of the extraordinary timepieces made for a wealthy Chinese clientele particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries, often by special order. It features all the ingredients favored by the Oriental connoisseur, such as the sumptuously decorated gold case and a complicated movement incorporating musical and repeating mechanisms. The superb quality of the enamel decoration illustrates the celebrated art of enamel miniatures originating from Geneva in the late 18th/early 19th century. At the time it was not unusual that an artist would not sign his work. The enamel on the present watch however could be attributed to the celebrated Jean-Louis Richter, made after English genre works painted by artists specializing in romantic English rural life, such as William Hamilton, Francis Wheatley and William Redmore Bigg. These paintings enjoyed enormous popularity at the time and were often used by Geneva enamellers to embellish their masterpieces. The superb quality of the enamel decoration illustrates the celebrated art of enamel miniatures originating from Geneva in the late 18th/early 19th century. At the time it was not unusual that an artist would not sign his work. The enamel on the present watch however can be attributed to the celebrated Jean-Louis Richter, made after English genre works painted by artists specializing in romantic English rural life, such as William Hamilton, Francis Wheatley and William Redmore Bigg. These paintings enjoyed enormous popularity at the time and were often used by Geneva enamellers to embellish their masterpieces.The superb quality of the enamel decoration illustrates the celebrated art of enamel miniatures originating from Geneva in the late 18th/early 19th century. At the time it was not unusual that an artist would not sign his work. The enamel on the present watch however can be attributed to the celebrated Jean-Louis Richter, made after English genre works painted by artists specializing in romantic English rural life, such as William Hamilton, Francis Wheatley and William Redmore Bigg. These paintings enjoyed enormous popularity at the time and were often used by Geneva enamellers to embellish their masterpieces. pocket watch Although not signed, the movement may be attributed to the workshop of the renowned watchmakers and goldsmiths Isaac-Daniel Piguet (1775-1841) and Philippe-Samuel Meylan (1772-1845), amongst Switzerland's foremost makers of musical and automaton watches mainly for the Chinese market. Some of their movements were extremely thin, featuring the disc or sur plateau format with fan teeth, such as the present watch, a system believed to have been invented by Meylan. For an illustration of a comparable musical movement by Piguet Meylan see La Montre Chinoise by Alfred Chapuis, p. 219, pl. 180. The first "Chinese Market" watches were made by Jesuit missionaries during the Ming Dynasty in the late 16th century. The Emperors had an avid interest in horological and astronomical instruments, which allowed the missionaries to enter China. By the late 18th century, Chinese patrons requested only the finest watches, featuring complicated movements such as repeating, music or automatons. To satisfy their desire for aesthetics, the cases had to be highly enamelled with motifs representing nature or classical scenes, set with pearls and precious stones. Many of these marvels were made for the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Examples of such watches and clocks are illustrated in Timepieces, The Forbidden City Publishing House. N.B. Descriptions are revised from a 1994 insurance appraisal by a noted N.Y.C. auction house Horologist. There are examples of this watch sold at Christie's.
[In Situ Item] This Item will not be on display in our saleroom during our preview period. If you wish to view it in-person please make a request with the gallery.
(29) The present watch is a fine example of one of the extraordinary timepieces made for a wealthy Chinese clientele particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries, often by special order. It features all the ingredients favored by the Oriental connoisseur, such as the sumptuously decorated gold case and a complicated movement incorporating musical and repeating mechanisms. The superb quality of the enamel decoration illustrates the celebrated art of enamel miniatures originating from Geneva in the late 18th/early 19th century. At the time it was not unusual that an artist would not sign his work. The enamel on the present watch however could be attributed to the celebrated Jean-Louis Richter, made after English genre works painted by artists specializing in romantic English rural life, such as William Hamilton, Francis Wheatley and William Redmore Bigg. These paintings enjoyed enormous popularity at the time and were often used by Geneva enamellers to embellish their masterpieces. The superb quality of the enamel decoration illustrates the celebrated art of enamel miniatures originating from Geneva in the late 18th/early 19th century. At the time it was not unusual that an artist would not sign his work. The enamel on the present watch however can be attributed to the celebrated Jean-Louis Richter, made after English genre works painted by artists specializing in romantic English rural life, such as William Hamilton, Francis Wheatley and William Redmore Bigg. These paintings enjoyed enormous popularity at the time and were often used by Geneva enamellers to embellish their masterpieces.The superb quality of the enamel decoration illustrates the celebrated art of enamel miniatures originating from Geneva in the late 18th/early 19th century. At the time it was not unusual that an artist would not sign his work. The enamel on the present watch however can be attributed to the celebrated Jean-Louis Richter, made after English genre works painted by artists specializing in romantic English rural life, such as William Hamilton, Francis Wheatley and William Redmore Bigg. These paintings enjoyed enormous popularity at the time and were often used by Geneva enamellers to embellish their masterpieces. pocket watch Although not signed, the movement may be attributed to the workshop of the renowned watchmakers and goldsmiths Isaac-Daniel Piguet (1775-1841) and Philippe-Samuel Meylan (1772-1845), amongst Switzerland's foremost makers of musical and automaton watches mainly for the Chinese market. Some of their movements were extremely thin, featuring the disc or sur plateau format with fan teeth, such as the present watch, a system believed to have been invented by Meylan. For an illustration of a comparable musical movement by Piguet Meylan see La Montre Chinoise by Alfred Chapuis, p. 219, pl. 180. The first "Chinese Market" watches were made by Jesuit missionaries during the Ming Dynasty in the late 16th century. The Emperors had an avid interest in horological and astronomical instruments, which allowed the missionaries to enter China. By the late 18th century, Chinese patrons requested only the finest watches, featuring complicated movements such as repeating, music or automatons. To satisfy their desire for aesthetics, the cases had to be highly enamelled with motifs representing nature or classical scenes, set with pearls and precious stones. Many of these marvels were made for the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Examples of such watches and clocks are illustrated in Timepieces, The Forbidden City Publishing House. N.B. Descriptions are revised from a 1994 insurance appraisal by a noted N.Y.C. auction house Horologist. There are examples of this watch sold at Christie's.
[In Situ Item] This Item will not be on display in our saleroom during our preview period. If you wish to view it in-person please make a request with the gallery.
Provenance
Collection of William D. Fraad, Greenwich, CT.
